Israeli company expands Spain's largest wind farm despite restrictions

Israeli firm Enlight Renewable Energy is expanding Gecama, Spain's largest wind farm in Cuenca, despite Spanish government measures banning trade with Israel over the Gaza situation. Authorized in July, the project will add solar panels and batteries to double output to 625 MW. Advocacy groups criticize the decision for human rights inconsistencies.

The Gecama wind farm, located in the municipalities of Atalaya del Cañavete, Cañada Juncosa, and Tébar in Cuenca province, is Spain's largest with a current capacity of 329 MW across 8,000 hectares. Owned by Israeli firm Enlight Renewable Energy, which operates in occupied territories like the Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, the site contributes to Spain's 56% renewable energy production in 2024.

In July 2025, the Ministry for Energy Transition approved the hybridization of the park, adding photovoltaic panels and storage batteries to provide 24-hour clean energy to 100,000 homes. This expansion, with a $310 million investment, will double output to 625 MW by mid-2026 and generate annual revenues of 87 million euros for Enlight, per company data. The approval preceded September's government bans on arms trade and products from occupied territories with Israel.

Juan Miguel, a retired farmer from Tébar, lives with the turbines' hum: “The noise is unbearable when they all run at once,” he says, noting they disrupt the rural landscape.

Cristina Alonso from Friends of the Earth condemns Enlight's involvement, accused by over 130 NGOs of profiting from the Gaza genocide: “It is the state's responsibility to decide which companies participate in the energy transition.” She calls the project oversized and greenwashing, arguing it unnecessarily occupies farmland in depopulated Spain.

The Ministry for Ecological Transition, under Sara Aagesen, states the approval relies on technical criteria, with the company's nationality irrelevant. Officials refer strategic sector decisions to the Council of Ministers, avoiding disruptions to prior energy agreements.

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