A high-profile trial over fraudulent wind farm construction licenses in Castilla y León continues in the Valladolid courtroom. Former senior officials and businessmen are in the dock, charged with serious crimes including bribery, money laundering, and abuse of power.
At the center of the case is former regional Deputy Minister of Economy Rafael Delgado. Prosecutors allege he orchestrated a scheme that let favored companies secure lucrative wind energy contracts. According to investigators, from 2003 to 2011, officials built a system where major investors were forced to take on local partners to get permits. Otherwise, their projects were blocked or delayed indefinitely.
One affected entrepreneur, Gregorio Álvarez, owner of a major renewable energy company, told the court he faced unexpected new requirements. To bid for capacity, he had to find a local co-investor, which hadn’t been necessary before. He said that after leadership changes in the sector, the licensing process became opaque and dependent on informal agreements.
Pressure tactics and financial flows
The prosecution insists that the officials not only controlled the distribution of permits but also received significant sums for doing so. Case files include evidence of disproportionate income and property that cannot be explained by official salaries. Local companies that received stakes in projects later resold their shares at inflated prices, earning multi-million profits.
Affected investors claim they were forced to give up part of their business under the threat of permit refusal. As a result, many major projects were frozen or delayed, and some entrepreneurs chose to leave the regional market and invest in other countries.
Lengthy Investigation and New Revelations
The investigation began back in 2015, but the trial only started in 2021. Over this period, dozens of case files were compiled and many witnesses questioned. New details continue to emerge during the hearings: for instance, it was revealed that until 2003, documents were processed without major issues, but after staff changes in the economic sector, artificial obstacles and demands began to appear.
The wind energy trial is running parallel to other corruption cases in the region. Rafael Delgado himself has already been convicted in another case involving embezzlement during large infrastructure projects. He now faces up to 42 years in prison and multi-million euro fines.
Impact on the Business Climate and Prospects
Experts note that such scandals undermine investor confidence in the region and hinder the development of renewable energy. Many market participants hope that the final court decisions will help eliminate corruption schemes from the industry and restore transparency to the allocation of public resources.
