- In Bizkaia, the project of the eight-turbine wind power plant that Euskal Haizie planned to build between Artzentales and Sopuerta has been rejected by the Industrial Department of the Basque Government for the damage it would cause to fauna, vegetation and heritage. The citizens of the Enkarterri have repeatedly mobilized against the project.
The project of the wind power plant that was to be carried out at the return of the Alen and Mello mountains of the Enkarterri has received an adverse statement on the environmental impact from the Department of Industry of the Government, according to the publication of the Magazine of the Authority of the Basque Country on Tuesday.
The Euskal Haizie S.L.U., a member of the Fisterra Energy group, was planning to build a 200-metre-high wind power plant on the land of Artzentales, Sopuerta, Galdames, Muskiz, Zalla and Gueñes, with a power of 49.6 megawatts. An evacuation line would also carry electricity by air from Artzentaleste to Gueñes.
Among the main reasons for the rejection of the project is that the area is considered of great interest "from the point of view of the avifauna". There is a strong presence of the white sai, the mammary and the brown sai, and in some cases important breeding sites of the necrophages. In the case of the white vulture, it is also one of the most "dense" colonies in the Iberian Peninsula and of international importance for the conservation of this species.
On the other hand, the infrastructure would also affect the red myrtle, the big hawk and other predatory birds, as well as several species of bats that live there and are threatened. The document also mentions the European mink and the types of plants at risk of extinction within the affected fauna and flora.
Among the main reasons for the rejection of the project is that the area is considered of great interest "from the point of view of the avifauna". There is a strong presence of white sai, mama and brown sai, and in some cases important breeding sites of necrophagi
The government says that on Mount Alen there is "a rich prehistoric, medieval and contemporary cultural heritage", such as the megalithic station, historic mining districts or tower houses, which are catalogued as a heritage with special protection.
The declaration concludes that the wind power plant that would receive windmills, evacuation lines, runways and other infrastructure will have a "critical" impact on all of them.
Citizens against, institutions against
Companies and multinationals want to install a large number of wind farms in Enkarterri, against which citizens have been mobilizing in recent years, through, among others, the association Enkarterri Viva or the platform Enkarterri Macroeólico No. Thus, in December 2023, more than three thousand allegations were filed against the Antzertales-Sopuerta plant.
On the other hand, both the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Ministry of the Environment of the Spanish Government expressed their opposition to this project in two reports. Thus, due to legal uncertainties, the Government’s Environmental Authorization has been in administrative proceedings for a long time. Now, the promoters of the project have received the opposite.