Conflicting voices say that non-industrialised areas must be protected, that the energy transition is not an excuse for destroying the land and that there are alternatives. The speaker of Hala Bedi Irratia, Julen Mendizabal, interviewed Iñigo Leza from the Montes Libres de Álava platform.

What is Free Mountains of Álava?

He was born a few years ago in Álava when they wanted to make a lot of wind farms in the mountains. It resurges again when about four years ago they return with that intention. The Montes de Álava are a platform in defense of the community, the mountains and, above all, the defense of the territory. They say that behind us there is a political party, but it is clear that it is not. We are a platform that acts in defense of the land.

You are therefore a popular independent platform. What is your specific objective? Is it not to industrialize the mountains?

Yeah, that's it. On the pretext of the ecological and energy transition, they want to destroy everything. They want to destroy the few of us left unindustrialized: fill our mountains and grounds with wind and photovoltaic. They don't want or don't use industrial polygons or already anthropized spaces.

There has been a stir in relation to the four wind farms that the Norwegian company Statkraft wants to build in Euskal Herria, with the position of EH Bildu… What is your opinion?

We believe that EH Bildu’s statements give rise to all the wind power plants that are currently being proposed. They say that Statkraft is a public company. That is not true. In Euskal Herria Statkraft is not a public company, it is a company of the Norwegian State. The Norwegian State has a fund in this company, which is the third shareholder of Iberdrola. And that's the background there is in the BBV, in Santander, in Inditex, in Caixabank, in Telefónica, in Apple, in Microsoft, in Amazon, in Facebook, in Google -- Statkraft is not a public company, and these kinds of statements I don't know what they want to hide.

After EH Bildu said it, there was also a head of Fagor that these initiatives are interesting. But this cooperative, MCC, participates in the giant photovoltaic power plant that they want to build in Álava, 200 hectares. We do not understand why they do not put these plates on the roofs of their polygons. MCC has hectares and hectares.

What do they propose is, therefore, to replace the artificialisation of the living environment in the Basque Country by the artificialisation of those already artificialised?

Yes. We have to be clear that this socio-economic system, capitalism, is not viable for people or for the environment. It has to be changed. It is very important to defend the territory, because the latest impacts of capitalism can be very serious for our mountains and grounds. That's where we eat. If we do not take care of it, we will not have it in the future.

The debate has been topical since the new wind farm was set up in Álava.

It has often been mentioned in the media. Has anyone contacted Montes de Álava?

Yes. We've been interviewed to learn what we think about EH Bildu's position. EH Bildu de Aramaio stood up a few months ago against this wind power plant. This wind power plant is the one that wants to install Statkraft. I don't know what's going to happen now. In Azpeitia they say they see it well. It is not all closed yet, but these kinds of statements are not good at protecting our mountains. In other places, such as British Columbia, very tough things are also being done in the name of renewables.

Last weekend the eco-taxes were celebrated. The need to set up a new agent to deal with the eco-social crisis has been addressed. What would you ask of this new agent? What are the key points in tackling the situation?

First, defend the protected spaces that we have left, protect the natural spaces. Reverse that and capitalism.