Once again, the residents of San Miguel de Salinas turned out in large numbers to demonstrate against the construction of a solar plant in the municipality
Hundreds of people gathered last Saturday in the Plaza de la Libertad to protest against the installation that is being built to supply electricity to the Torrevieja desalination plant, but which will have a strong negative impact on the local economy.
The residents of San Miguel were first informed of the project in February 2024, through the Landscape Assessment survey of the preliminary project, that will affect 200 hectares of its traditional farmlands. The construction, which aims to make the production of desalinated water at the Torrevieja plant cheaper, is being promoted by MITECO, through the public company Acuamed.
On March 3, over half of the town’s 6,000 inhabitants took to the streets to register their disapproval of this project. Since then, a commission was formed for this purpose, made up of all political groups, farmers and the neighbourhood association, which has since undertaken a series of actions, such as an act of protest at the doors of the Provincial Government in Alicante, a visit to the Senate and a number of meetings with Acuamed.
As a consequence of these actions, in a brief interview in the Senate on May 14, Minister Teresa Ribera committed to withdrawing the project from its current location and searching for other alternatives. The deadline given by the minister has since passed without that commitment having been honoured.
The search for sustainable alternatives
The “San Miguel Arcángel” neighbourhood association has historically opposed dozens of solar macroplant projects similar to this one, which entail a loss of agricultural or forest land or that alter the landscape, traditional culture or ecological sustainability of the area.
As such it advocates the search for sustainable alternatives, such as installation on the roofs of houses and industrial estates, on sterile soils, in the Tajo-Segura transfer canal or the AP-7 motorway, as has been proposed to Acuamed.
Image courtesy San Miguel Policia Local
