Government authorises Azaceta wind power plant
- The project of eight windmills that Aixeindar intends to install in this Alavesa wind plant has been approved by the Government. This resolution was published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on 2 May. It states that the project will have to make a number of changes to reduce its environmental impact. The period for lodging the appeal is one month.
According to the Aixe project, it is intended to install eight windmills in Azaceta to produce 40 megawatts of energy. The affected municipalities are Bernedo, Arraia Maeztu, Joy-Dulantzi, Iruraiz-Gauna and San Millán.
The administrative authorization was signed by the Territorial Delegate of the Industrial Administration of Álava, Pedro Rodríguez Díaz, and published on 12 April and 2 May. This authorization establishes 16 areas for reducing the environmental impact of the project.
Measures to be taken include the transfer of three mills. The new sites must undergo the following studies prior to the execution of the project: botanic study, avifauna, noise... Another measure is the underground line of the mid-voltage between the Alto de Azazeta and the Substation of San Millán.
For the protection of fauna, the Government's authorization determines the stops of windmills between 1 May and 31 October, from 30 minutes before sunset to four hours after sunset, when simultaneously temperature conditions above 15°C and wind speeds below 7 m/s are present. The project should include preventive measures against electrocution and shock.
It must be moved at a distance of more than 200 m from the high-voltage line points and 100 m from the isolated dwellings. "If this is not feasible, it will be necessary to ensure that the flow density or magnetic induction is less than 100 µT," the government said.
The maximum period for implementing the project is two years. The government has said it expects it to be in place by 2025.
Groups that have so far submitted claims
In April 2021, the core project and the environmental impact study were published. After their knowledge, they submitted comments: Equo Berdeak, SEO Birdlife, Association for the Monitoring and Study of Bats (SECEMU), Ekologistak Martxan Araba, Gaden Association, Natural Institute of Álava (IAN-ANI), Montes Libres, Association of Rural Development of Llanzana,
On May 20 in Gasteiz, the demonstration "Euskal Herria Bizirik in the defense of the Earth" has been called, among others, to the groups facing the Azaceta wind power plant.
Environmental activist Mikel Álvarez has produced an exhaustive critical report on the wind macro-power plants that Repsol and Endesa intend to build in the vicinity of Arano and Hernani of the region. In his opinion, this is "the largest infrastructure of this kind that is... [+]
