Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)THE battle to keep the El Torcal valley free from wind farms has been backed by Antequera town hall.
Mayor Ricardo Millan has revealed that the town’s latest development plan (PGOU) will emphasize the protected status of the area.
The scheme, which was exposed in the Olive Press in April last year, has also been opposed by Villanueva de la Concepcion town hall.
The project would see 75 wind turbines being installed in the so-called Parque Eolico Los Lentiscares scheme.
Residents’ group, El Quijote Contra los Molinos, has long sought town hall backing in its campaign against wind turbines between Antequera and Alora.
The group claims it will destroy the area’s important tourist industry and endanger a number of rare birds.
“This is not about nimbyism,” said Czech resident Bob Hrabal. “We are not against sustainable energy. We genuinely believe this is an ineffective and badly-sited scheme.
“It is not just expatriates, many local Spaniards have put their life savings into running casas rurales to supplement their pensions.
“Once the windmills go in it is end of story.”
Shrouded in secrecy, the scheme has been criticised for not being subject to a public consultation and not providing enough information.
Numerous companies are believed to have submitted tenders to build turbines in the area.
The group, which counts on Spanish, German and English residents, claims the town hall of Valle de Abdalajis favours the windmills, while Alora and Almogia are non-committal.
Is the Olive Press aware of the plans to create massive wind farms next to the village of Chirivel in Almeria province? It appears that the developers, landowners, our council and the Junta de Andalucia have formulated a plan of where the wind farms will be placed without consulting the local population. The scale of the plans are so huge that the destruction to wildlife, water sources and the quality of life of the residents will be catastrophic. The most shocking aspect is that none of the residents of Chirivel have been informed of this. The local ecology group-El Grupo Roquez is currently in the process of formulating an appeal against the proposals. The council have so far been silent. Please don’t call them ‘windmills’-they are 100 meters high with an 85 meter wing span, each of their foundations requires up to 1000 tons of concrete, and new roads and quarries to build the supporting infrastructure. The nearest turbine will be 1 km from the residents of Chirivel. This is turning into an intriguing story and has left the population here with some serious questions regarding the roles of some individuals.