# Data center sites in Spain: demand, grid access and land

> Spain has grid capacity, but rarely where data centers queue. In the CNMC’s August 2026 data, **816 of 6,186** distribution nodes publish demand capacity and only **104** offer 20 MW or more; Madrid has 9. Since March 2026 a data center must request access as a data center (RDL 7/2026), and congested transmission nodes are allocated by tender.

Last checked 2026-10-13 · https://ampervia.com/markets/spain/

- **104** — distribution nodes with ≥20 MW of demand capacity (August 2026)
- **9** — of them in Madrid province
- **928 MW** — awarded in the first demand-access tenders (Feb 2026)
- **≈€440k** — per grid MW: Meco powered-land sale (2024)

## What buyers ask for here

| Who | Where | Size | What they buy | Written |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European developer | Spain (with Italy) | 10–30 MW | Sites to develop | Jul 2026 |
| Specialist developer | Spain | Brownfield | Powered brownfield | Jul 2026 |
| Infrastructure investor | Barcelona anchor | 100 MW+ | Large campus sites | Jul 2026 |

From buyer conversations in July 2026; written reconfirmation in progress. Anonymised; stated requirements, not commitments to buy a specific site.

## Where sites come from

Brownfield plots near Madrid (for example a 240 MW campus on a former bottling plant in Fuenlabrada) and greenfield campuses next to substations in Aragón.

## How the power is won

Royal Decree-law 7/2026 requires every demand access permit to state the activity it serves, so a data center must apply as a data center from the start; a factory’s old permit lapses if the activity changes. At congested transmission nodes, capacity is awarded by competitive tender: 928 MW in February 2026.

## Planning and regulation

Regional fast-track regimes (Aragón’s in particular) shorten permitting, but they do not create grid capacity; the connection remains the critical path.

## Land and price benchmarks

Along Madrid’s A-2 corridor, industrial land traded at roughly €225–500/m² in mid-2026. The Meco plot with a 25 MW power agreement sold for €11 million, about €440,000 per grid MW.

## Sources

- [CNMC — access capacity map](https://www.cnmc.es/prensa/mapa-capacidad-transporte-20260213)
- [BOE — Real Decreto-ley 7/2026](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2026-6544)
- [MITECO — 928 MW of demand grid access awarded to large industrial projects (25 Feb 2026)](https://www.miteco.gob.es/content/dam/miteco/es/prensa/20260225_NdP_El_MITECO_adjudica_928_MW_de_acceso_la_red_el%C3%A9ctrica.pdf)
- [ActivumSG — €11m powered land sale to Pure DC](https://www.activumsg.com/activumsg-completes-11m-powered-land-sale-pure-dc/)
- [Construction Digital — Apto's 240 MW Fuenlabrada campus on a former bottling plant (Mar 2026)](https://constructiondigital.com/news/apto-hyperscaling-data-centre-campus)
- [MERLIN Properties — Zaragoza-WIND data center campus, Botorrita (Jul 2026)](https://www.merlinproperties.com/en/press/merlin-desarrollara-en-aragon-el-mayor-proyecto-de-autoconsumo-renovable-para-data-centers-del-mundo/)
- [Latham & Watkins — New grid access rules in Spain: key takeaways (RDL 7/2026, May 2026)](https://www.lw.com/en/insights/new-grid-access-rules-in-spain-key-takeaways)
- [El Debate — Radiografía del suelo industrial en Madrid](https://www.eldebate.com/espana/madrid/20260618/radiografia-suelo-industrial-madrid-segun-empresarios-precios-falta-energia-atractivo-extranjero_429632.html)