Orihuela Chamber of Commerce has proposed La Pedrera reservoir as the preferred location for a photovoltaic plant intended to supply renewable energy to Torrevieja’s desalination facility.
The proposal emerged during a conference on the Natural Resources Management Plan for Sierra Escalona and Dehesa de Campoamor, organised by the University of Alicante’s Chair of Water Efficiency and Sustainable Agriculture.
The meeting brought together regional officials, specialists and Torremendo residents, who again expressed opposition to a possible waste-treatment plant near their homes.
Discussion also focused on plans for a solar facility serving the desalination plant. The project is intended to reduce reliance on the conventional electricity grid, lower environmental impact and cut the price of desalinated water supplied to farmers.
Chamber president Mario Martínez said La Pedrera had been suggested after consultations with experts and consideration of an earlier award-winning project proposing floating solar panels on irrigation reservoirs.
He acknowledged that the installation could affect the landscape but argued that the economic benefits should be considered. Martínez said the region should identify its preferred location rather than risk having a site imposed from outside.
He added that other possibilities should also be explored, including industrial rooftops and irrigation ponds, particularly where they would have less impact on protected natural areas.
Martínez also called for the revival of the Vega Baja Regional Forum, arguing that major issues affecting the district require coordinated solutions.
He said waste management, renewable energy, water infrastructure, healthcare and education all cross municipal boundaries and cannot be addressed effectively by councils acting independently.
According to Martínez, the Vega Baja’s central problem is a lack of unity, with municipalities pursuing separate strategies instead of developing a shared regional vision.
The chamber’s location proposal can now be submitted during consultation on the photovoltaic project itself, as the formal period for objections to the wider natural-resources plan has already closed.
