Foundation sources have announced that, in the coming weeks, they will continue to submit their allegations to the text. At the moment, a total of 36 projects of high impact and size: “This is the number of projects that the Government of Navarre and the Government of the State have launched in recent days in Navarre. But the total amount will be much larger over the weeks and months.” The association is pushing for a campaign of allegations and has been informed of how to make the allegations on the association’s website.

For Subai Erakuntza, these solar and wind polygons are being approached without rationality and the development of these projects has no democratic planning: “The projects under way are largely overcoming what is proposed in the Navarra Energy Plan. At the moment, there is no public body that will organise or direct the development of renewables, nor that will it intend to curb this new speculative bubble. And, of course, the public has never been consulted about our needs, impacts and energy model in Navarra. All this is being done behind the citizens’ backs, in a totally undemocratic way.”

For this reason, both Subai Fundazioa and numerous associations opposed to such projects, such as Haize Berriak or Salba dezagun Erreniega, have called for the paralysis of these projects to open a process of reflection and proper planning on the energy model needed in Navarre.

The Foundation has denounced that most of the projects and polygons presented have serious impacts on the environment of Navarra. Its implementation requires large land movements and the opening of large slopes on natural grounds, in many cases in areas of low affluence and high natural value. In addition, they generate protected spaces. This results in the destruction of vegetation, the fragmentation of the habitats of animal species and the creation of artificial barriers that make it difficult for animals to move and move.

They want to pay particular attention to the mortality of birds caused by the wind farms of Navarra. The newly installed facilities, such as the Cavarco, in the Sierra de Yugo and the adjacent natural spaces such as the Bardenas Natural Park, have denounced the death of vultures, thousands and many other protected species, "as well as small and large forests so scarce. According to data from the Government of Navarra, from July 2020, when the park was launched, until March 2021, in just eight months, 80 dead vultures have been counted along with other species of birds and bats, a total of 124 specimens. And those are the ones found...”

600 hectare solar polygon

According to the Foundation, it is also planned to install a large solar energy collection site in the Ribera Navarra, specifically in Peralta and Andosilla, which is expected to occupy more than 600 hectares of natural land.

They denounce that not all these projects make sense: “46% of the electricity we consume in Navarre is renewable, and in previous years that percentage has been even higher. Today, in Navarre, renewable energies are of great importance and, to a large extent, they have to be exported. In fact, in 2019 it exported 30% of the electricity produced by Navarra, a percentage that will increase if all the projects that are to be installed are carried out.”

Navarra exports electricity

The underlying problem is that, according to Subai, electricity is only 21% of the total energy we consume in Navarra, the rest is fossil and there is no important planning for that consumption to be electric. Therefore, they consider that the implementation in Navarre of these facilities to produce more electricity of renewable origin will contribute little to climate change and to the fossil energy extraction summit: “The pockets of some companies and people will only serve to fatten even more.”

For all these reasons, it urges the governments of Navarre and the State to carry out a global moratorium on these projects and appropriate democratic reflections and plans on the energy model that we need, based on the principles of consumption reduction, energy saving, decentralized production and proximity to the place of final consumption, where municipalities and councils, together with their inhabitants, are able to be aware of their planning and development, protecting the natural and popular environment of our territory.