Company “guarantees three times as many oaks will be planted”
Another “massive photovoltaic project for Europe” to be sited in Portugal – and hundreds more protected tree species’ will need to be felled to make way for it.
SIC Notícias today brings the story of EDP’s e Sobreira de Baixo Photovoltaic Plant, right next to the Alqueva Dam, on agricultural land that it seeks to cover with 348,000 photovoltaic ‘modules’.
It will be EDP’s largest photovoltaic project in Europe, involving an investment of €115 million, and when completed will have a capacity of 242 megawatts.
The land (445 hectares) currently is a pine forest which joins fields of holm oaks and cork oaks. In total over 1,500 trees will require felling – just under 400 of which will be protected holm (the majority) and cork oaks (22).
According to EDP’s written response to SIC, when fully operational the plant will produce 418 gigawatt hours per year – equivalent to almost 1% of Portugal’s current electricity consumption.
A ‘distinctive project’, says EDP, since it is a hybrid system, linked to the Alqueva hydroelectric power station’. It therefore involves ‘producing energy from different sources’, such as water, sun and wind.
And again according to the majority Chinese-owned company, compensation plans will be implemented to reforest and preserve the two protected species that will be lost.
“The company guarantees that three times as many holm oaks and cork oaks as were felled will be planted. Even so, environmental organisations are showing some concern”, says SIC.
Concerns mainly centre on the recurrent argument: “destroying Nature for the energy transition seems to be a paradox, when the whole idea of the energy transition is to have a model that is sustainable”. There is also the concern that “guarantees” are not usually legally-binding: trees may well be planted, but will they be planted well? Will they be properly maintained/ nurtured?
According to SIC, EDP guarantees that “forest management measures will be adopted throughout the life of the project”, adding that “maintenance will be regularly reported to environmental authorities” and audits will be carried out.
As for the municipality of Vidigueira, where the solar panels will be installed, it will be entitled to compensation of around €3 million euros, paid by the Environmental Fund, for the loss of usage of the land.
The project is in public consultation until January 6. It has a construction period of 16 months and a useful life of 35 years, reports SIC.
The only environmental entity seemingly interviewed by SIC was ZERO. Others have commented over social media, citing passages from EDP’s own document on the plan, like this one:
“Negative impacts are expected on the vascular flora and plant communities, which are mainly the result of the physical destruction of individuals or populations of vascular plant species and the disturbance of natural biotopes/habitats as a result of land preparation actions to implement the project, soil clearing and stripping actions and also the deforestation of some of the areas currently occupied by mixed forest”.
“Congratulations EDP…. 445 hectares of photovoltaic panels in one of the most beautiful and biodiverse landscapes in the world… What the Alentejo needs most is plantations of solar panels…. It will certainly bring more biodiversity to the region... and boost tourism to the region”, writes NGO World Trees. ND
Source material: SIC/ Facebook
