Residents demand answers as Costa del Sol electricity substation goes into operation

The citizens' platform against the location of the first electrical substation in the Torrox Park residential area on the eastern Costa del Sol continues to reject the infrastructure, which has just come into operation.

After Malaga Public Prosecutor's Office dismissed their court case in 2023 in April 2024, the group, which includes residents and parents' associations from local schools, filed an administrative lawsuit in December 2024 as a new legal avenue to try to stop the infrastructure that has been built and financed by electricity company Endesa.

The group against the substation, which has been built near a school and thousands of homes, has denounced "the town hall's failure to respond to legitimate requests submitted through official channels," as well as its "failure to comply with a commitment to carry out environmental checks prior to the new infrastructure becoming operational".

They said in a statement that "the town hall has not responded to the two requests submitted by this platform requesting clear and precise information on the status of the substation, compliance with current regulations and the relevant technical reports."

The statement goes on to argue that the town hall, "publicly committed to carrying out electromagnetic and environmental measurements before the substation was put into operation, something that has clearly not been fulfilled". There are concerns that "the infrastructure is now operational without the public having had access to any technical report guaranteeing its safety and compatibility with the urban and residential environment".

Endesa has argued on several occasions that "electrical substations are completely safe" and "there are strict regulations in place that all parties involved are complying with". The same sources point out that "the emission of electric fields is zero at a distance of two metres" and that "the safety of the workers who directly handle these facilities is guaranteed, as the parameters emitted at shorter distances are absolutely normal".

The platform has demanded "an official response to the registered requests, the publication of the corresponding technical reports and measurements, compliance with all the commitments made before the substation was put into operation, and the opening of a real channel of dialogue with the platform and the residents affected."

They said they will continue to protest and "use all the legal, social and media resources at our disposal until our demands are met and the safety, health and well-being of the public are guaranteed".

Sources at Torrox town hall have told SUR that Endesa "continues to assure us that the substation will have no impact, even at street level, on the pavement where the facilities are located, let alone in more distant areas".