"Renewables yes, but not like this": Opposition from Girona on large renewable energy parks in natural environments

GironaGirona lags behind in green energy investment. Unlike other regions of Catalonia, the Girona district has no operational wind farms and only about ten functioning photovoltaic installations. However, both the Catalan government (Generalitat) and the Ministry for Ecological Transition are currently processing over 200 renewable energy projects that are expected to be implemented in the coming years. Many of these future wind and solar farms have generated controversy, facing opposition from residents and town councils in small villages. Citizens have united in various protest platforms, and last week, more than 40 Girona town councils joined forces to voice their discontent to the Catalan government's delegation. They all reiterate that, despite being in favor of a green transition, the projects planned for their area are "oversized," will damage "the natural environment," and regret that they were designed "without considering the opinions of local communities."

The project with the longest backlog is the one that floating offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Roseswhich envisions 70 offshore wind turbines 12 km from the coast. Very close by, on land, the project has also been controversial Galatea wind farm, in La Jonquera, which wants to install turbines at the foot of the Albera mountain range.Like the Torrent solar park, covering an area equivalent to 17 football fields in a municipality of just over 100 inhabitants, or Julia, which plans to install more than 75,000 solar panels spread across small towns in the Gironès and Pla de l'Estany regions. The latest to stir things up is the Empordanet project, with plans to install four 200-meter wind turbines at the foot of the Montgrí massif.

In all these cases, the companies are from outside Catalonia, headquartered in Madrid or other European countries, and are looking for large plots of land in good condition to install wind turbines or solar panels. According to the 2019 regulations, they must submit their project to the Generalitat (or the Ministry, if the plant's capacity exceeds 50 MW), which is responsible for approving it and making the project available for public comment. It is during this process that local councils and residents, who until now had no say in the matter, have 30 days to submit objections.

Four 200-meter windmills at the foot of Montgrí

This September, the German company RWE Renewables, through its Catalan subsidiary Eólica Alta Anoia, presented a wind energy project in the municipality of Tallada d'Empordà. The project involves four 5 MW wind turbines, located in an area of apple orchards, cornfields, and other crops between Tallada and Bellcaire. The turbines would reach a height of 200 meters, standing on a plain dominated only by the 311-meter-high Montgrí massif. An underground power line would also be required, affecting Tallada and Bellcaire. The deadline for submitting objections ends this week, and all the affected municipalities have filed objections, as has the citizens' platform Defendemos el Empordanet (We Defend Empordanet), formed specifically for this purpose.

In Tallada d'Empordà, the local council held a non-referendum public consultation on December 6th to gather the opinions of residents, and the result was overwhelming: 324 people participated (more than 66% of the registered voters), and 310 voted against the project (95.7%). "The central tenet of this united front is not that we don't want renewable energy, as we are aware of the climate emergency, but rather that we don't want it implemented without considering the local councils and the voices of the people who live here and who will be directly impacted by the installations. We want to be heard and be able to make this defense," said Maria Dolors Guardia, the councilor. She added, "As a local council, the objections and public consultation processes for these projects cost us €34,000, which is a significant financial burden for a municipality like ours."

Meanwhile, the Defendemos el Empordanet platform is highly critical of the company's and the Generalitat's methods: "Why does someone come to our house without asking us and decide that wind turbines should be built here simply because they want to, without having a clue where the Empordà is? It's a complete mess," said spokesperson Josep Lluís Gómez. Even more forcefully, he concluded: "The administration approves all projects outright and then, if necessary, they'll fix them, instead of doing it the other way around. As citizens, we won't gain anything. This project will bring us health problems, noise, and discomfort. It's a big shot trade".

75,000 solar panels in the Ter riverbed

Near La Tallada, the most important photovoltaic project in the Girona region is currently under review. It's called Julia, and it envisions 100 hectares of solar panels—approximately 75,000 units—distributed across Cornellà de Terri, Vilademuls, Sant Jordi Desvalls, and Cervià de Ter. With a capacity of 52 MW (and therefore subject to ministry approval), it requires a 15 km overhead high-voltage power line and a substation in Juià, which would also affect the municipalities of Viladasens, Sant Joan de Mollet, Bordils, and Sant Martí Vell. The project is being promoted by Atenea Capital Investments, an investment company not specializing in green energy. The public comment period concluded last summer, with local councils and other entities submitting objections.

A whole area of the future plant is practically attached to Raset, a small municipality belonging to Cervià de Ter, where 200 people live. The mayor, Guillem SurrocaHe denounces this by saying: "The main tool companies use to decide where to build projects is to see which fields are larger and where there's only one owner so they can get things done quickly. They never consider the impact. They're looking for profitability and short-term gains, easy money." He continues: "It's a very large park. We prefer smaller park models, closer to developed areas like the AP-7 highway."

The Julia project has prompted the creation of the Movilizamos la Llera platform, which unites residents from all the affected towns: "We see that, at this time, there is a great need to implement renewables for reasons that have nothing to do with the territory, but rather with political interests. We want a just, consensual energy transition with alternatives. But it's much easier to oppose it. This is a model of speculation. Renewables, yes, but not like this," argues one of the spokespeople, Consol Riera, a resident of Sant Jordi Desvalls. The Naturalists of Girona, for their part, also submitted objections to the project, especially regarding the environmental impact of the overhead power line, which affects protected areas and lacks studies on corrective alternatives such as burying it underground.

10 hectares of photovoltaic park in a village of 170 inhabitants

Finally, the Madrid-based company Solar GAEU 1009 has submitted a project to the Catalan government for a 5 MW solar plant that would occupy 10 hectares in Torrent, a small municipality in the Baix Empordà region, between Pals and Palafrugell, with 170 inhabitants. This is almost the same area as the town center and would be located on agricultural land. The City Council filed objections in November, arguing that a tiny village without services, a school, or an industrial park is not a suitable location. They also reiterated their concerns about the lack of transparency in the regulations that allow the Catalan government or the Ministry to process permits without informing the municipalities beforehand. "The solar park would affect the Closes d'en Serra, an area of great environmental importance, a habitat for many migratory birds, as it is a small lagoon that fills with water when it rains," stated the mayor, Josep Maria Ros. And he concludes: "If this land can't even accommodate an industrial park or even a small shack to preserve the special protection zone, it makes no sense for them to come and build a mega-plant to generate energy that won't be for us: it will be for all of Spain or even to be sold abroad. There's a lack of sensitivity and empathy for the land." The affected plot belongs to a rural landowner, and if the administrative procedures continue, this owner, or any other affected party, even if they disagree, must accept the expropriation at the expense of the administration under the guise of public interest.

The Catalan government's plan to convince the municipalities

To address all this feedback from local communities, the Catalan Government has launched the Sectoral Territorial Plan for the Implementation of Renewable Energies in Catalonia (PLATER). This plan is a tool to guide the deployment of renewable energies and their associated infrastructure, taking into account land use and environmental, agricultural, cultural, social, and technical factors. Each region is allocated a percentage of green MW, with the goal of achieving 62,000 MW of renewable energy in Catalonia by 2050. Anna Camp, director of the Catalan Energy Institute, has been presenting the plan region by region in recent weeks. "This will be the key tool for organizing and facilitating the installation of wind and solar photovoltaic energy. We will prioritize urbanized areas and actively listen to the entire territory," the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, stated in Parliament. However, the local councils are asking that all projects in process be put on hold until the plan is presented to them and they agree with it.