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 proposed in the Basque Country", and the report is aimed at analyzing the issue and "giving the alert" among citizens, collectives and associations. Below we summarize a few strokes.

Endesa and Repsol

On the one hand, the "Ikatz Gane" project of Enigma Green Power is behind Endesa, as ARGIA announced in May, and aims to build five 205 meter wind turbines in Elduain and Hernani, between the saw that goes from the Pagoaga neighborhood to Mount Azketa and the Adamendi skirts. Its total power would be 33 MW.

On the other hand, through the consulting firm FE Energy, Repsol has a 99 MW power project in the municipalities of Arano, Hernani, Goizueta and Berastegi, along the long mountain range from Mandoegi to Adarra. This project, which provides 22 wind turbines of 165 meters height or 15 of 205 meters length, is being processed in Madrid because of its size and because it affects two autonomous communities (Basque Country and Navarre).

In any case, Álvarez points out in his report that it is difficult to identify the exact location of the wind complexes that have been designed and their access to construction due to the lack of information.

72 bird species, 60,000 flights

The report contains a great deal of information on the possible ecological damage that wind turbines could cause. Among other things, the visual and acoustic impact, the footprint of the implementation of these infrastructures on steep grounds, and how it would affect flora and fauna. According to studies carried out by Aranzadi, endangered species of endemic plants, as well as mammals such as the European mink and the Pyrenean desman, inhabit these dark slopes.

As for the birds, in the study carried out for the Basque Wind Power Project (Iberdrola and EVE), which in 2007 intended to install a new wind power plant, approximately 60,000 flights of 72 bird species were counted in the area of Mandoegi. Migrations have been detected of red milano, gavilan, European volador and other predators, cinegetic species and paseiformes (pajarita, grey pajarita, blue amilots...). In addition, there is a leonado vulture bed in the southeast of the mountain.

Important megalithic station

Among the Onddi, Adarra and Mandoegi mountains, one of the most important prehistoric monumental complexes of the Basque Country is preserved. It is precisely from Leitzaran that the megaliths are multiplied eastwards in the form of a circle called mairubaratza or cromlechs. In Arano and Goizueta alone, 74 of this type have been classified.

The report highlights that the Urumea brings together a "cultural landscape" in which the old communal lands or legitimations have had a special relevance: "These were free mountains," said expert Luis Mari Zaldua to Gipuzkoako Hitza.
In short, "this report has been prepared to publicize the most serious impacts, but also some critical issues about the corporate energy transition based on megaprojects," says Álvarez.