With two vetoes from Portugal’s environmental agency APA supporting them, hundreds of people from Fundão, Castelo Branco and Penamacor travelled to Lisbon today to mark their presence in a protest against the Sophia mega solar project planned for the Beira Baixa.
The timing was against them: the whole country is focused on recovery efforts from Storm Kristin. But the message has not lost its force: “Let us be clear: this project is not going forwards”.
The plan, promoted by BP Lightsource, clearly has the full backing of the centre-right government, but protestors are not letting this curb their focus.
“Our struggle against BP Lightsource is just beginning – and they have seriously underestimated local resistance”, say the groups behind today’s protest.
“We appeal to the authorities to choose another, more intelligent, more just, path: support local businesses and residents; work with local solar businesses; place solar panels on roofs not on agricultural land.
“There is no justification for destroying productive agricultural land when houses and businesses can produce their own energy, reduce electricity bills and maintain local circular investment.
“Solar yes. Land appropriations no. Sophia no”.
This will be a long, hard fight. APA has already ‘irked’ the government by twice refusing to give the environmental ‘okay’ to this project, yet Lightsource remains ‘working’ on a 3rd work-around, while Brussels’ commissioner for energy has been visiting the country saying how crucial Portugal is for Europe’s plan for ‘energy corridors’.
Source: Beira Baixa em Alerta Facebook
