Eastern region rejects renewable energy acceleration zone plan

With still a precious day left to run on a ‘public participation’ exercise, Idanha-a-Nova Municipal Council, in eastern Portugal, has shown it is dead-set against the government plan to essentially map-out the country in ‘renewable energy acceleration zones’.

In a statement published today, the council has expressed its opposition on the basis that the PSZAER proposal (standing for Renewable Energy Deployment Acceleration Zones Programme) would have permanent and irreversible environmental impacts.

This is exactly what citizens groups have been saying about other renewable energy projects forced through, against all local opinions – and what all municipalities are acutely aware of is that these acceleration zones will not be the only places considered for wind and solar projects. They will simply be the places where projects can be pushed through with ease, and without the need for council permission/ environmental impact assessments.

Idanha-a-Nova (one of the municipalities already ‘at risk’ from a large-scale solar project) stresses that it is against “changes in the energy transition that cause permanent and irreversible environmental impacts.”

The public consultation on PSZAER is described by Lusa today as “a key stage for the participation of citizens, local authorities, environmental organisations, developers, associations and other stakeholders in the process of defining the Renewable Energy Acceleration Zones (ZAER) in mainland Portugal”.

A technical assessment of the proposed renewable energy acceleration zones identifies around 7% of mainland territory as having the potential to accelerate solar and wind projects, but warns that implementation depends on the grid, licensing, the market and public acceptance.

This conclusion is set out in the Strategic Environmental Assessment and the proposed programme for the ZAERs – a technical document currently open for public consultation on the final demarcation of the areas.

“Landscape preservation is of crucial importance to Idanha-a-Nova; consequently, the authority objects to the visual degradation and loss of landscape character resulting from the installation of mega-power stations,” the Idanha-a-Nova municipality continues.

According to the council, solar projects are expected to have a cumulative impact on 5,351 hectares of countryside – corresponding to around 4% of the district’s total area – which, in its opinion, conflicts with the well-being of local residents.

However, the municipality reaffirms its support for the transition to clean energy sources based on decentralised production models, the use of developed areas, the promotion of self-consumption and small-scale energy communities (as are being supported today, by the Gulbenkian Foundation and Coopérnico, see previous top story).

“These options ensure that there is less conflict with nature and with people,” the municipality echoes the sentiment of the Gulbenkian initiative.

Says Lusa, Idanha-a-Nova council reaffirms its opposition “to the implementation of large-scale projects that strip away the character of natural heritage and jeopardise local progress”.

Mayor, Elza Gonçalves, is committed to “uncompromisingly defending the quality of life of the people of Idanha-a-Nova and future generations” and rejects the notion that national decarbonisation targets justify the sacrifice of local authorities’ endogenous resources.

This is almost certainly the moment where the proverbial ‘worm’ starts turning. It will be incredibly difficult for the government to continue ploughing ahead with this ‘acceleration strategy’ when people and their local authorities are so overwhelmingly against it.

Source material: LUSA