- Quote: ‘It is an area of great environmental value with strategic forest land. There is going to be an effect on the environment’ – Miguel Ángel Pavón, president of Amigos de Sierra Escalona (ASE) and Vice President of the Friends of the Southern Wetlands of Alicante (AHSA)
By Andrew Atkinson
A 54-hectare solar plant project is planned in Almoradí next to Hoyo Serrano with an investment of €9.1 million by TM Torrevieja real estate group, through subsidiary, TM Renovables La Juliana SL.
With 69,000 solar panels in situ Ecologists fear that, even if it is located on agricultural land, it will affect the Vega Baja area. The real estate group has also requested from the Ministry of Sustainable Economy, Productive Sectors, Commerce and Labour authorisation for the implantation, on undeveloped land, of a photovoltaic solar plant, along with prior administrative authorisation and construction authorisation.
It has also requested the public concession in livestock track – Colada de Catral – due to the condition caused by the crossing of the underground line of the facilities.
If approved, it would generate a peak power of 31.74 MWp.
Due to legal and economic reasons, the main installation would consist of two adjoining photovoltaic installations, that share a substation and connection line, according to the environmental impact study presented to the Generalitat by the company, together with the landscape integration study. The plant would be developed on an area of around 546,000 square metres of agricultural land, not urbanizable, part of them in production, with 69,000 panels.
In Almoradí solar plants projects are being studied in the region.
In Catral, already in operation, includes Callosa de Segura and Dolores and two macro plants projected in the Sierra Escalona environment, promoted by the renewable investment funds of Bibey (60 MWp) and Itel (120 MWp).
The Almoradí solar plant plan deemed it does not present relevant environmental values, nor does it have environmental or cultural protection.
However, it reportedly indicated although the detailed studies of the General Structural Plan of Almoradí have shown that the Estate does not present values for cultural heritage, the Subsidiary Regulations of 2004 classify part of the estate as Non-Urbanizable Land of Special Archaeological Protection.
Environmentalists are against the installation of the solar plant: “We believe that there is a negative impact on both the landscape, the environment and the territory of the chosen lands,” said Miguel Ángel Pavón, president of Amigos de Sierra Escalona (ASE) and Vice President of the Friends of the Southern Wetlands of Alicante (AHSA).
The plant is located next to the area of Hoyo Serrano and a part of the agricultural land borders the Barranco del Calderón.
“It is an area of great environmental value with strategic forest land and although forest soil is not touched, there is going to be an effect on the environment,” said Pavón.
“We hope that the Vega Baja Territorial Action Plan will go public, and that something will be said about this type of facility,” added Pavón.
Caption: There is going to be an effect on the environment – Miguel Ángel Pavón, president of (ASE) and Vice President of (AHSA).
