"Deciding on the location of wind farms should be in the hands of the people"
- The areas of Mutriku, Berriatua and Markina-Xemein are among those proposed by the Renewable Energy Sector Territorial Plan for the generation of wind cores.
Following its publication in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country on 10 May, the Basque Government has approved the Sectoral Territorial Plan for Renewable Energy. Massifs from 57 municipalities have been selected for the implementation of wind power plants, including the centres of Mutriku, Berriatua, Markina-Xemein, Muxika and Morga. They open a period of 45 days for claims.
In the case of Mutriku, the area along with Arno has been chosen, which borders with Berriatua. Mutriku Natur Taldea has emphasized the need for the decision to select spaces to be left to the public: “There are environmentally valuable areas in this list. We believe we must protect the most valuable spaces. We recognize the need to place wind farms, but deciding where to put them is necessary to be in the hands of the people.”
Mutriku Natur Taldea: “What we are asking is to tell society truth as a natural group. Energy is running out and our consumption is unsustainable.”
However, they stress that this is a common work, a process that must be respected by legislation and worked together with the other peoples: “The Mutriku case should not be treated as an isolated case, it is something that must be worked with the rest of the CAPV.” As biodiversity for all, they have put at the centre the need to make decisions from a global perspective. Otherwise, they say that the consequences will be suffered by the smaller peoples: “We are 5,000 inhabitants in Mutriku, we will include in the plenary a motion urging the city council to create a legal defense bag. We will be able to solve our problems, but a small Alavese population of 100 will suffer the consequences.”
Renewable energy. The group stresses the need to emerge behind the need to create wind farms and raise awareness: “What we are asking is to tell society truth as a natural group. Energy is running out and our consumption is unsustainable. We want to spend in 60 years the energy that has been accumulating for long years, and when it ends, what?” Faced with a forced change of life, three points have been highlighted: reducing consumption, producing in local networks and deciding where to make spaces. “Oil will not end overnight, but it will not be profitable to leave. The key is to use what comes out well, you have to prioritize. There is a solution, we can make progress in collaboration.”
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... [+]
