The Spanish Government rejects the wind farm between Eskoriatza and Aramaio
- The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Democratic Challenge of the Spanish Government has rejected the Itsaraz wind farm, which the multinational Statkraf planned to build between Álava and Gipuzkoa.
The Ministry rejected the environmental impact report submitted by Statkraft on the grounds that the project could cause significant damage to the birds and fauna of the area, i.e. to the sites between Aramaio and Eskoriatza. The Urkiola Park is also nearby and is considered to be harmful, in addition to being declared as a special protection area.
Statkraft intended to install between the two localities eight windmills of 7.55 megawatts each, with a maximum of 201 meters height. Apparatus fins would occupy an area of 2.32 hectares when they worked. To extract the generated energy, it was planned to build two networks, one of 30 kilowatts and underground to Aramaio and another of 132 kilowatts, built in the air –13 kilometers and 48 poles– and in the underground –481 meters– to Abadía.
In statements through the Official Gazette of the Government of Spain, the ministry points out that there are a large number of rapacious birds in the area, including the Leonado vulture and the Alimoche, and that many other protected birds rest and feed there and there, and the project does not guarantee their protection.
Statckraft was surprised at the decision of the Ministry, both by the existence of similar conditions in the parks that have been recognized in other places, and by the prior authorization of several institutions, such as the deputies of Gipuzkoa and Álava.
The Diputación de Bizkaia has been the other entity that has rejected the environmental impact. In their view, the project has a full impact on the smoothening and, furthermore, there is no way to correct this impact, and it is therefore unacceptable. The Ministry, in the end, also thinks in a similar way and for this reason “is committed to the principle of prudence”. Since it is a polygon of over 50 megawatts, the last word is held by the Government of Spain, and that is where the multinational has gone.
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