Photo voltaic park growth threatens Spain’s centuries-old olive timber
By Rosa SULLEIRO
Lopera, Spain (AFP) April 14, 2025
At his farm in southern Spain, Francisco Campos appeared worriedly at a inexperienced sea of centuries-old olive timber that he fears will face the axe to make manner for a proposed photo voltaic park.
“Slicing down olive timber to put in photo voltaic panels is against the law,” the 64-year-old farmer informed AFP in Lopera, a city of whitewashed buildings with 3,600 residents within the sunny southern area of Andalusia, Spain’s olive-growing heartland.
Spain is the world’s high producer of olive oil, however the fertile agricultural land lengthy utilized by olive producers is now in excessive demand from energy companies seeking to set up photo voltaic farms.
And with practically 3,000 hours of sunshine per 12 months, Andalusia is likely one of the Spanish areas with the very best variety of photo voltaic panels as a renewables growth makes the nation a European chief in inexperienced vitality.
Renewable vitality companies similar to Greenalia and FRV Arroyadas have requested permission to construct a number of photo voltaic farms close to Lopera, which farmers say will have an effect on as much as 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of property.
The companies negotiated agreements to lease the majority of the land required for his or her tasks however encountered important opposition from tons of of small landowners.
This prompted the regional authorities of Andalusia to announce it should expropriate some land wanted for the crops, declaring them to be in “the general public curiosity”.
“Is it within the public curiosity for them to take my land and provides it to an organization in order that the corporate can revenue? This has no profit for us,” stated Campos.
“Our lifestyle goes to be destroyed,” he added.
– ‘From our ancestors’ –
Campaigners predict that the eight photo voltaic tasks deliberate for the world would require the elimination of practically 100,000 olive timber.
The regional authorities places the determine considerably decrease, at 13,000.
Native residents anticipated energy corporations would search to put in photo voltaic panels within the space, however they by no means imagined “they might come and take away your property,” stated Rafael Alcala, a spokesman for a platform that represents the photo voltaic crops’ opponents.
In assist of landowners impacted by the newest spherical of expropriations, dozens of farmers on tractors — some holding indicators that learn “We do not need photo voltaic crops” — gathered on a current morning outdoors Lopera.
“These lands come from our ancestors. What am I going to depart to my youngsters now?” Maria Josefa Palomo, a 67-year-old pensioner, stated on the protest.
Dropping 500 hectares of olive groves would wipe out greater than two million euros ($2.3 million) in annual revenues, in accordance with native olive oil cooperative La Loperana.
Campaigners say 5,000 olive timber have already been uprooted from land belonging to a farmer in Lopera who signed an settlement with one of many companies behind a photo voltaic park. Extra may observe.
In an effort to cease the tasks, opponents have filed lawsuits towards the regional authorities and the businesses concerned.
– ‘Till the tip’ –
Spain generated a file 56.8 p.c of its electrical energy final 12 months from renewable sources similar to wind and photo voltaic, in accordance with grid operator Purple Electrica.
Leveraging on its sunny plains, windy hillsides and fast-flowing rivers, Spain intends to lift the share of renewable-generated electrical energy to 81 p.c of the whole by 2030 as a part of efforts to cut back its greenhouse fuel emissions.
The regional authorities has defended the renewables tasks, saying lower than one p.c of the land they use within the area needed to be expropriated from reluctant landowners.
Spanish photo voltaic trade group UNEF, which represents greater than 800 corporations, says the tasks enhance tax revenues in rural communities.
They generate “important quantities” that can be utilized to enhance public providers, stated UNEF head Jose Donoso.
Photo voltaic park opponents in Lopera disagree and vow to proceed their struggle.
“Till the tip. No one goes to take what’s ours away from us,” stated Juan Cantera, a 28-year-old farmer.
“Olive oil is every part in Lopera”.
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