By: NATASHA SMITH
A PUBLIC discussion regarding electricity company REN’s plans to erect pylons through Silves took place on Wednesday morning at Silves Câmara.
Residents of Vale Fuzeiros, Casa Queimada and Bicas in Silves are due to be directly affected by the planned pylon route and, through protests, are hopeful of a positive outcome to disputes and a change in the route.
With the support of Silves Câmara, residents are pleased that changes are possible if the national government is able to force REN to change the route.
Several meetings and protests have taken place during the last few months since residents discovered what REN planned to do.
When residents complained, Silves Câmara did not initially appear to show any interest but following several meetings and protests and extensive media coverage in both the Portuguese and English-language press in the Algarve, the câmara has done a dramatic u-turn.
Last year, Silves Câmara approved REN’s project without informing affected residents of the plans, which only came to their attention earlier this year.
A Vale Fuzeiros resident told The Resident that they were all pleased that Câmara President Isabel Soares is throwing her full support behind them. He said: “The câmara is actively involved in trying to find a solution and even an alternative route.”
Relief
Residents of Vale Fuzeiros are beginning to breathe a sigh of relief as it appears the route will no longer affect the area, although this has not been confirmed, but for people living in Bicas and Casa Queimada, the saga is likely to continue.
Locals told The Resident that the area has a great deal of archaeologically significant sites, such as ancient tombs from the Bronze Age and they fear that the natural beauty and tranquility will be ruined if pylons are erected. They are also concerned about the potential effect on future tourism development in the area.
The pylons are due to link the substations in Tunes and Portimão and boost power supplies in the western Algarve. Residents were quick to point out that they were not against the pylons being erected as they are important for the development of the region.
They want an alternative route, which affects less people, but they cannot understand why REN is continuing to be uncommunicative and unaccommodating. However, residents believe that a satisfactory solution is more likely now that they have the full support of Soares, who has more power to convince the government to force REN to move the route further north.
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