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The recent power outage has highlighted the need to move more decisively towards a distributed, resilient and shared energy model. Royal Decree-Law 7/2025 , approved this July, represents a decisive step in this direction. In the province of Tarragona, where urban areas, industrial environments and rural areas with great solar potential coexist, this new regulatory framework could mark a before and after in the deployment of collective self-consumption.
At OTEC , we believe that this legal change opens the door to more viable, scalable and inclusive projects, and highlights the role of technical engineers as key agents in promoting them.
1. A new figure is promoted: the Self-Consumption Manager
One of the major innovations is the creation of the figure of the Self-Consumption Manager , officially recognized as a legal subject within Law 24/2013 of the Electricity Sector. This figure —which can be exercised by a natural or legal person— will have the capacity to represent the consumers associated with a self-consumption installation, acting on their behalf to guarantee its proper functioning and regulatory compliance.
For technical engineering professionals, this recognition is a clear opportunity to offer management, advisory and specialized processing services , with a rigorous technical base and knowledge of the territory.
2. More flexibility between individual and collective self-consumption
The decree modifies Royal Decree 244/2019 to allow a supply point that is currently in individual mode without surpluses to also participate in collective self-consumption . This fl exibility, which was not possible until now, represents a decisive advance in facilitating new hybrid and collaborative models.
In Tarragona, where many companies and homes already have individual systems, this opens the door to joining efforts, sharing surpluses and creating more dynamic and efficient energy communities.
3. Extension of the connection radius up to 5 km
Another key improvement is the expansion of the connection radius between the generation facility and consumption points up to 5 km (previously 2 km), provided that certain requirements are met:
- Power ≤ 5 MW
- Installations on roofs or artificial structures
- Location on industrial land or existing buildings
- Connection through the transport or distribution network
This change has a direct impact on the Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l'Ebre regions , where the distances between buildings and consumption often made shared self-consumption difficult. Now an industrial building can be connected to several consumers within a realistic radius, thus favoring the creation of local energy communities in rural environments, industrial estates or neighborhoods with a diversity of uses.
4. What can technical engineers do?
This new framework reinforces the role of our collective as a strategic piece to make the energy transition a reality:
- Inform and advise municipalities, companies, communities and individuals
- Leading collective self-consumption projects with technical and regulatory criteria
- Configure hybrid systems and optimize energy consumption
- Act as Self-Consumption Managers with responsibility and rigor
In Tarragona, where there are already initiatives underway, technical engineering needs to take an active role to multiply the impact of these measures , adapting them to the realities of the territory and promoting sustainable, efficient projects with social returns.
5. An opportunity for the territory
With Royal Decree-Law 7/2025, some of the barriers that hindered the expansion of collective self-consumption are resolved. We now have a more favorable scenario for deploying energy communities that:
- Be accessible to more consumers
- They can take advantage of existing infrastructures
- Expand to a wider geographical area
- Have professional technical support from day one
From OTEC, we encourage all agents in the territory to take advantage of this new regulatory framework to make shared self-consumption projects a reality that generate savings, resilience and local energy sovereignty.
For more information:
Xavier Partners | Phone: 669 66 65 84 | otec@enginyerstarragona.cat