Automatically translated from Basque, translation may contain errors. More information here. Elhuyarren itzultzaile automatikoaren logoa

Biometering plants in Navarra: all reflections are not clean energy

Zarata mediatikoz beteriko garai nahasiotan, merkatu logiketatik urrun eta irakurleengandik gertu dagoen kazetaritza beharrezkoa dela uste baduzu, ARGIA bultzatzera animatu nahi zaitugu. Geroz eta gehiago gara, jarrai dezagun txikitik eragiten.

Recently, biometering plants are increasing in Navarra. Thus, in addition to the facilities of Biomendi in Mendigorría, HTN in Caparroso and E-Copreci in Cabanillas, new plants have been announced in Imotz, Lerín and Valtierra and the existing one in Cabanillas will be expanded.

Most of these plants are located next to large livestock farms. Theoretically, with the objective of decomposing organic matter produced by livestock and producing biogas, mainly to generate electricity and pour into the electric grid. This process also generates heat and is generally reused in the facilities themselves. Meanwhile, the final residue resulting from this process, digestate, can be applied as an amendment to soils. This presentation is unbeatable: an excellent example of circular economy and green alternative, renewable energy production, which avoids problems in waste management...

However, it is difficult to objectively assess the suitability of these plants without taking into account the context in which they are implemented and their consequences. Because not all reflexes are clean energy. It is impossible to speak of biomethanization in Navarra, without taking into account the dynamics and the constellation of conflicts that this has generated: extension of macro-farms and extension of the hyperintensive livestock model, generation of large quantity of organic waste, negative impact on fertile soils, etc. In a situation like this, the installation of biometering plants, linked to industrial livestock, would coincide with the so-called capitalism of ruin: those who promote this type of project seek an added benefit from the problems and disasters they generate.

To present the development of industrial livestock in Navarra in the last decades, one fact: Between 1988 and 2022, cattle grew by 41.91% and pigs by 271.21%. At the same time, the population of Navarra has increased by 29.46%. This shows us that an export-oriented livestock model has been imposed, not on domestic consumption, which has led to a chain of negative effects such as the disappearance of family farms, the concentration of animals, the excessive increase of organic waste, the urgent need to eliminate them, the intensive use of cleaning water... All this generates waste that is difficult to compost, which leads to pollution of water resources, as we are seeing in the Ultzama River basin or in Villafranca and Marcilla.

Facilitating or not adequately controlling the installation of biometering plants is feeding the expansion of macro-farms. A strategic framework such as the primary sector is mortgaged, territory unbalanced and new speculative bubbles are fed

The year 2007 is crucial. The government of Rodríguez Zapatero approved Royal Decree 661/2007 establishing a remuneration framework to promote the profitability and dissemination of renewables. Considering methane production as a renewable energy, large livestock enterprises saw the possibility of introducing bio-metering plants for the production of biogas with slurry, a high-subsidy energy. A good way to extend activity and benefits. This process, however, was not left out of the crisis, as the regulations that reduced premiums for energy generation were later amended. It recalls the failure of the Bioenergy of Ultzama, plagued by irregularities and which suffered so much from the City of Ultzama.

We are currently in a situation similar to that which occurred in the first years of 2000, at the beginning of a new bubble of renewables. Companies have unchecked the construction of new infrastructures in the heat of energy planning and their financial support. And biometering isn't out, as you can see.

Biometering plants are presented as solutions, although in their shadow there is only one business opportunity to extend the life cycle of products. As proof of this, it is sufficient to note that in Navarre there are those who, taking advantage of a legal vacuum, are using biometering to treat not only their own purines, but all kinds of non-toxic organic industrial waste. A paradigmatic case we have in the biometering plant of Mendigorría: In 2020, in the last year with available data, in addition to the treatment of own pig slurry, there were 31,319 tons of industrial waste from Navarra and 37,389 tons from other autonomous communities, mainly from the CAPV and Cantabria. And the case of Mendigorría is no exception.

The integration of biometering plants into livestock farms in Navarra is an unacceptable social and environmental cost. It responds to a crazy wheel: biometering responds to the serious problem of the accumulation of organic waste generated by industrial livestock. However, this type of business is profitable only because it manages waste from other industries and is charged for it. This causes an increase in the amount of spontaneously large purines that should be deposited in the soils. In addition, the pollutants emitted along with them are increasing and the transport of waste from hundreds of kilometres is also increasing.

Therefore, this model does not respond to the needs of the livestock sector, but rather to the large facilities. Nor to sustainable local development, which removes family farms. Nor does it concern water safety, as it pollutes soils and aquifers with nitrates. Nor the need to keep soil nutrients healthy, to pour a digestate that mixes industrial waste and heavy metals.

As we said at the beginning, the situation is far from encouraging. The announcement of new bio-metering plants has been made in conjunction with new applications for the installation or extension of macro-farms. From November 2021 to August 2023, a minimum of 16 new intensive livestock facilities or extensions involving 60,899 pigs and 5,537 additional cows have been requested.

In view of this, the new Government of Navarra has the opportunity to direct the policies it has carried out to date and which have yielded such poor results. Facilitating or not adequately controlling the installation of biometering plants is feeding the expansion of macro-farms. In this sense, a strategic framework such as the primary sector is mortgaged, the territory is unbalanced and new speculative bubbles are fed. At the same time, it should give strong support to extensive livestock farming, the only sustainable alternative to industrialised livestock production, capable of contributing to other challenges such as combating rural depopulation and the climate crisis. But that requires will. This has not been proven so far.

Mikel Saralegi and Jesús Arbizu (Txurio), members of the Subai Erakuntza Foundation

Bidali zure iritzi artikuluak iritzia@argia.eus helbide elektronikora

ARGIAk ez du zertan bat etorri artikuluen edukiarekin. Idatzien gehienezko luzera 4.500 karakterekoa da (espazioak barne). Idazkera aldetik gutxieneko zuzentasun bat beharrezkoa da: batetik, ARGIAk ezin du hartu zuzenketa sakona egiteko lanik; bestetik, egitekotan edukia nahi gabe aldatzeko arriskua dago. ARGIAk azaleko zuzenketak edo moldaketak egingo dizkie artikuluei, behar izanez gero.


You are interested in the channel: Irakurleen gutunak
2025-03-11 | Joan Mari Beloki
Euskal Herria Europa berrian

Ukrainako gudaren amaierak ondorio sakonak ekarriko ditu Europa osora. Europako elite ekonomikoek beren indar guztia jarri dute guda-zelaian eta galdu egin dute. Galtzaileek, elite globalistek, beren egitasmo kuttuna galduko dute, Europako Batasuna, eta Bruselatik europar... [+]


Euskara bihotzean eta erdara ezpainean

Azterketak amaitzearekin batera ohikoak bihurtu dira ikasleriaren artean, urteko garai honetan merkeak diren hegaldiak hartu eta adiskideekin bidaiatzea. Horrela egin dut neuk ere eta Londresera joateko aukera izan dut. Ildo beretik, bertan “euskaldun” pilarekin egin... [+]


Hezkuntzaren merkantilizazioa eta noraezaren aurrean, HezkuntzArtea sortu da!

Ez dakit nondik hasi, egia esan. Ordezkoa naizen heinean –irakaskuntzan ikasturte gutxi batzuk daramatzat lanean– eskola ugari ezagutu ditut Nafarroa, Bizkai eta Araban zehar. Lankide izan ditudan irakasleekin euskal eskolak dituen gabezien inguruan hitz egiten... [+]


EAEko Osasun Saila mediku euskaldun bila

Alberto Martinez Eusko Jaurlaritzako Osasun sailburuak argi dio: ez ditu mediku euskaldunak aurkitzen, eta euskarazko osasun arreta ezin da bermatu mediku egoiliar (formazioan dauden espezialista) gehienak kanpotarrak direlako. Mediku euskaldunak bilatzea perretxikotan joatea... [+]


Zilbor-hestea

Gogo eta gorputzaren zilbor-hesteak: bi kate. Bi kate, biak ebaki beharrezkoak: bat gorputzaren bizitzeko, bestea gogoaren askatzeko”. Hala dio Mikel Laboaren kantak; hala izan da belaunaldiz belaunaldi, egun arte.

Gogoan dut nire gurasoak askotan joaten zirela... [+]


Iruña-Veleia: epaiketatik bost urtera

Otsailean bost urte bete dira Iruña-Veleiako epaiketatik, baina oraindik hainbat pasarte ezezagunak dira.

11 urteko gurutze-bidea. Arabako Foru Aldundiak (AFA) kereila jarri zuenetik epaiketa burutzera 11 urte luze pasa ziren. Luzatzen den justizia ez dela justizia, dio... [+]


Superwoman

MAITE: (biharko eguna antolatzen bere buruaren baitan) Jaiki, gosaldu, bazkaria prestatu, arropa garbitu, etxea garbitu, gizon hori jaiki, seme-alabak jaiki, hiru horien gosaria prestatu, haiek agurtu, erosketak egin, lanera joan, seme-alabak eskolatik jaso, merienda eman,... [+]


2025-03-07 | Laia Alduntzin
Hezkuntza gotorleku

Matxismoa normalizatzen ari da, eskuin muturreko alderdien nahiz sare sozialetako pertsonaien eskutik, ideia matxistak zabaltzen eta egonkortzen ari baitira gizarte osoan. Egoera larria da, eta are larriagoa izan daiteke, ideia zein jarrera matxistei eta erreakzionarioei ateak... [+]


2025-03-06 | Haizea Isasa
Kasu, ez gitxu lo!

“Kasu, ez gitxu lo!”. Gure denbora eta manerekin baina heldu gira.

Azaroaren 25ean Baionako elgarretaratzera joan ez joan eta autoak nola partekatu pentsatzetik (joan-jina bi oren), bat-batean Lartzabalen elgarretaratze bat antolatu genuen, eta 47 emazte bildu!... [+]


Feminista sindikalista ala sindikalista feminista

Nahiz eta Nazio Batuen Erakundeak (NBE) 1977an nazioarteko egun bat bezala deklaratu zuen eta haren jatorriaren hipotesi ezberdinak diren, Martxoaren 8aren iturria berez emazte langileen mugimenduari lotua da.


2025-02-26 | Elixabet Etchandy
Martxoaren 8ko, emazte langileak lehen lerrora!

Martxoaren 8a hurbiltzen ari zaigu, eta urtero bezala, instituzioek haien diskurtsoak berdintasun politika eta feminismoz josten dituzte, eta enpresek borroka egun hau “emazteen egunera” murrizten dute, emakumeei bideratutako merkatu estereotipatu oso bati bidea... [+]


Izan, badira salbuespen legeak, bai horixe!

Sare Herritarrak antolatuta, pasa den urtarrilaren 11n Bilboko kaleak bete zituen manifestazio jendetsuaren ondoren, berriz sortu da eztabaida, euskal presoei salbuespen legeriarik aplikatzen ote zaion. Gure iritzia azaltzen saiatuko gara.

Espetxe politikan aldaketa nabarmena... [+]


Zedarriak, armagintza, zoru etikoa eta langileok

Duela gutxi think tank izateko jaioa omen den Zedarriak bere 6. txostena aurkeztu zuen. Beren web orrialdean azaltzen dutenaren arabera, zedarriak ebidentea ez den bidea topatzeko erreferentziak dira. Hots, hiru probintzietako jendarteari bidea markatzeko ekimena. Agerraldi... [+]


We are many, come with us to the Basque public school

The time has come for us to enrol in schools in the Basque Country for the 2025-26 academic year, and in many homes the youngest of the household will take a new step soon, in September, which is schooling. Proud of the Basque Public School The members of Topagune are firmly... [+]


Quotas in schools

Since the adoption of the new Education Law for Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, we are hearing/reading again and again that education will be free from now on. We have listened to different actors, including the Department of Education, and in the interviews we offer to the media,... [+]


Eguneraketa berriak daude