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Inland Malaga, and especially the Guadalteba and Guadalhorce areas closest to Antequera in the north of the province, are very much the focus of attention of renewable energy companies, many of whom are international players. These are mostly photovoltaic solar farm projects, but there are also wind farm projects. The latest one on the table, which is starting the process of undergoing a standard environmental impact assessment, bears the stamp of a public company from Norway. It would be the most powerful wind farm in Andalucía, with a production capacity of over 65MW.
As always, the towers and sails of the giant wind turbines are not the only things that are massive and problematic about these plans. It is also important to deploy a major evacuation structure to transport all this energy. The directorate-general for environmental quality and assessment (DGCEA), under central government's ministry for ecological transition, has issued a statement on all of this. The wind farm project, named Lagunillas, estimates a specific power output of 65.7 MW.
The project affects the municipalities of Álora, Antequera and Valle de Abdalajís and is promoted by Statkraft Iberia Tres, SLU, under article 22 of royal decree-law 20/2022, on measures to respond to the economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine and to support reconstruction on the island of La Palma and other situations of vulnerability of energy supplies. "Once the shortcomings in the documentation of the file have been rectified by the developer, it is verified that the file meets the requirements to be processed under article 22 of royal decree-law 20/2022", according to the official state gazette (BOE).
The wind farm would have 11 wind turbines. Of these, six have a unit power of 7.2 MW, a hub height of 114 m and a rotor diameter of 172 metres. A further five are planned with a power output of 4.5 MW, a hub height of 113 metres and a rotor diameter of 163 metres. In addition, three backup wind turbines with an output of 4.5 MW and a hub height of 113m are planned.
The wind turbines would be connected via a 34.7-kilometre underground network to the newly built Lagunillas substation. From there, the power is evacuated via a new 9.21 km long overhead line to the Tajo de la Encantada collector station, also a new build. This facility would be connected via overhead and underground lines. The first section is planned underground and measures 0.45 kilometres and the second is above ground, just over 1 kilometre long.
Statkraft Iberia has its offices in Madrid and the group's registered office is in Oslo, Norway. It is 100% owned by the Norwegian government. The company has 4,000 employees and is present in 17 markets. It has a 125-year history and manages almost 20 GW of its own capacity.
If all the necessary permits are granted, the project's scope would represent almost one tenth of the province's wind power production. Curiously, Malaga province has not made much progress in this regard over the last decade. According to official data from the Andalusian energy agency (AAE), since 2015 barely 75 MW of wind power has been added to the network. To date the largest wind farm is Altamira in Almargen, producing some 49.3 MW, which is well below this new proposal. The next largest are Cerro de la Higuera in Teba (44 MW) and Cerro Gavira in Campillos (41.65 MW).
The total power produced adds up to 645.38 MW from 20 wind farms. In any case these totals would still be very small if the four offshore wind farms planned for the westernmost part of the province were to go ahead. These four offshore farms, named Terral, Mileto, Victoria and Neptuno, are currently in the pre-environmental impact assessment stage, but the plan is for them to generate more than 500 MW and maybe up to over 1,000 MW.
Growth in Andalucía's wind power capacity experienced a significant increase in the years 2003 to 2013. After six years of slowdown due to increased regulation, the sector picked up momentum again in 2019. Fifteen new wind farms were commissioned between 2019 and December 2024. The region now has a total capacity of 3,668.3 MW. Malaga province accounts for 17% of the Andalusian pie.
The initial environmental analysis indicates that the new facilities promoted by the Norwegian government do not affect any areas included in Andalucía's network of 'protected natural spaces'. The closest ones are the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Natural Park, the Torcal de Antequera Natural Park, also declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, the Sierra de las Nieves National Park and the Pinar del Hacho periurban park. Neither does the infrastructure required for such a wind farm overlap with any 'Red Natura 2000' areas (nature protection areas within the EU). The areas closest to the proposed wind farm are the Guadalhorce, Fahalas and Pereilas rivers, Abdalajís and La Encantada Sur mountain ranges, Los Gaitanes gorge, Alcaparaín and Aguas mountain ranges, Yeso III, Higuerones IX and El Marrubio.
The analysis does point out the effects on the nesting process for golden eagles, ospreys and Bonelli's eagles, griffon vultures, black storks, kites, corvids, egrets and redstarts, among other birds. The report also notes that the impact on other animal species such as different types of bats should be studied further. These are just a few examples, with much more detail given in the official document, which determined that the project must undergo the further scrutiny provided by following the standard environmental procedure.
"The project could fragment connectivity between protected natural spaces and Red Natura 2000 areas because the project's high-voltage line runs parallel to the project that has a favourable environmental impact declaration for the Stopper Solar, Rehala Solar, Reclamo Solar and Volateo Solar photovoltaic plants," states the document text, which also proposes that the blades should not rotate at low wind speeds to avoid collisions with birds of prey and other flying animals.
Impacts on plant species that could, in turn, provide shelter for birds and other animals are also noted. Potential impacts on waterways, underground bodies of water and some risks of spillage or contamination are also anticipated. In all cases, suggested solutions are also provided. Issues such as earthworks, vehicle traffic and waste generation are also analysed. "The waste is primarily non-hazardous in nature during the construction phase. With regard to non-hazardous waste, an estimated volume of approximately 71,302 cubic metres of earth and stone from the excavation site is expected. As for waste resulting from the work carried out, such as concrete, a volume of 1,486 cubic metres is estimated," the text states.
The planned facilities are located in the municipalities of Álora, Antequera and Valle de Abdalajís, in the province of Malaga. The nearest population centres to the project are Valle de Abdalajís (one kilometre from the wind farm), the Antequera districts of Los Nogales (two kilometres away), La Hoya 0.2 km, and the Álora districts of Las Mellizas and Los Llanos at 4.8 km away. There are 11 stand-alone properties within 500 metres of the wind turbines.
Positive social and economic impacts have been analysed too: "The construction of a wind farm can have a positive impact on the economy, both directly and indirectly, due to the temporary creation of jobs in the construction and transportation sectors. This, in turn, generates synergetic effects on distributors and producers of materials, on the rental of the necessary machinery and on the service sector in nearby municipalities."
"During the running of the wind farm, a positive economic impact is estimated, boosting job creation due to environmental monitoring and the required operations and maintenance work. These actions will have beneficial effects for the service sector in the localities near the project" states the report, while determining that the wind farm would be visible from different viewpoints, which could impact the local landscape.
The technical experts that undertook this initial assessment also made a preliminary assessment regarding fire risk and cultural heritage. There are no major conclusions.
This is an area where the projects are not just in the planning stages, many are already up and running. Next to the proposed wind turbines 8 and 2 of the Norwegian project, there are two 100 kWp solar power plants already in operation. Then, some 10.5 km away, there is a 99 kWp solar power plant producing electricity. Lastly, at 9.7 km, 14.5 km, 15.1 km, 17 km and 20.5 km from the Lagunillas project there are wind farms with a total of 66 wind turbines.
The Posets Solar and Faballones Solar photovoltaic plants, totalling 199.46 MW, are located 2.9 km from the proposed wind farm. Also the Stopper, Rehala, Reclamo and Volateo photovoltaic solar plants, totalling 450 MW, are located 7.4 km away. All these facilities have an environmental impact statement.
Photovoltaic projects with a total capacity of 1,441 MW are located at distances of between 0.8 km and 11 km. At distances of 4.4 km and 13.2 km, two wind farms with a total of 10 wind turbines are planned besides the 13 wind turbines of the Lagunillas project.
According to the maps available, there are 22 high voltage overhead lines in the 15-kilometre study area around the project. The project's overhead line (LAAT) is located parallel to the overhead line for the four aforementioned photovoltaic solar plants.
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