Tenerife protests against the construction of wind power plants: the mayor promised a meeting
On Tenerife, about 200 people protested against the construction of wind farms, fearing environmental damage and demanding that public opinion be taken into account.
Yesterday, about 200 people gathered in the square in front of the Güímar Town Hall to protest the construction of the El Pilón I and El Pilón II wind farms near Agache and Fasnia. The Plataforma Ecomarca organization achieved its goal: the mayor of the city, Carmen Luisa Castro, clearly stated her position on these projects. According to the organization's representative, Iurma Rodríguez, the mayor does not support the construction of these facilities, which produce "green" energy, and promised to organize a meeting next week.
During the rally, people learned that the developer company plans to start a new project, Pilón III, in the La Medida and Pájara areas, which are also located in Güímar, in the Agache area. The protesters stated: "We are defending what belongs to us: our land, the beauty of nature, our health and our future."
They are not against clean energy, but they believe that these two wind farms do not meet the necessary requirements. "We are for renewable energy, but not at this cost, not against people, not destroying what gives us life," their statement said. "We want plans to be built taking into account the interests of everyone, not just the DISA company, which is trying to impose its projects without listening to the people's opinion."
DISA Energía Renovable, SLU wants to build the El Pilón I (with a capacity of 15 megawatts and four wind turbines) and El Pilón II (with a capacity of 8.5 megawatts and two wind turbines) wind farms. The construction will affect 181 plots of land in Fasnia and Güímar. In order to transmit the generated electricity, it is planned to install 24 towers on the slope of Güímar, and then lay the cable underground to the substation in the Valle de Güímar industrial area. The total investment is estimated at 22.3 million euros (14.3 million in El Pilón I and 8 million in El Pilón II).
Plataforma Ecomarca, an organization that protects the southeastern part of Tenerife, claims that the wind turbines are planned to be located too close to residential areas (less than a kilometer), which "threatens the quality of life, nature and identity of our communities."
In their objections, submitted during the discussion of the projects, they emphasize that the El Pilón I and El Pilón II wind farms will cause "serious environmental damage", will require the relocation of more than 240,000 cubic meters of soil, will affect local plants and change the natural landscape. In addition, they argue that the power plant infrastructure will block more than 35 ravines and riverbeds, which threatens aquatic ecosystems. The wind turbines will be located too close to housing, which can lead to noise, vibrations and changes in the environment. Also, in their opinion, there is no "real justification for society" regarding the need for these power plants.
The developer company DISA Energía Renovable, SLU states that El Pilón I and El Pilón II "meet all legal and environmental requirements, both in terms of distances and environmental impact." They recall that the government of the Canary Islands "has identified areas where renewable energy sources can be rapidly developed, and this is one of them, so we respect the plans for the introduction of renewable energy sources."
The company assures that the locations for both wind farms "comply with the current plans" of the respective municipalities. El Pilón I is planned to be located on agricultural land in Fasnia, designated for energy infrastructure, and El Pilón II is planned to be located on agricultural land in Güímar. In any case, the company is ready to make changes to adapt the projects to the wishes of the Cabildo de Tenerife government, which opposed the construction of both wind farms, as they affect the Herques ravine and the Malpaís de Güímar Special Nature Reserve.