Government shelves Zalea solar plant project in Malaga after developer withdraws
The project, with a final, planned capacity of over 50 MW, has been cancelled after years of red tape and local opposition from several town councils in Malaga's Guadalhorce Valley
The Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition has formally terminated the administrative procedure for the "FV Zalea" photovoltaic plant, a project that has faced sustained local opposition in the Guadalhorce Valley.
The official resolution, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), confirms that the government has moved to "accept the withdrawal formulated by Sun Capital 2000, SL." This renunciation effectively halts the development of a 121.8 MW solar farm that was slated to occupy a significant footprint across the municipalities of Pizarra and Casarabonela.
Conflict over land and public utility
A central pillar of the local grievance was the developer's pursuit of a "declaration, specifically, of public utility." Had this been granted, it would have allowed for the compulsory purchase (expropriation) of private agricultural land to make way for the plant’s extensive "evacuation infrastructure."
In the technical documentation, this infrastructure was described as the essential link to the national grid, comprising:
•The "SET Zalea 30/132 kV" transformer substation.
•More than 4,200 metres of high-voltage overhead and subterranean lines.
•A network of "subterranean lines of 30 kV" connecting the various solar arrays.
Victory for local protestors
For the residents of Zalea and the wider Málaga interior, the "conclusion of the procedure and the archiving of the actions" represents a major reprieve. Opponents had frequently cited the threat to the "agricultural essence" of the region, arguing that industrial-scale energy projects should not come at the expense of productive farmland.
By filing a voluntary "renounce the administrative processing," the promoter has bypassed a potentially negative environmental impact ruling. The Ministry has confirmed that the project file is now closed, meaning any future renewable energy proposals for the Zalea site would require a completely new application process, starting from scratch with environmental and public consultations.
