For decades Granada can boast of having a world category jewel, the set formed by the Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín, registered all three on the Unesco World Heritage list. Now the city sees how clouds loom themselves on them. And for an unexpected azón: a photovoltaic plant that, according to icomos (an organism associated with UNESCO) threatens the environment.
In fact he advises “strongly” to be paralyzed.
What happened? That Icomos (the International Council of Monuments and Sites) has just yielded a jug of cold water on a project that has been heating for some time grenadling local politics: a photovoltaic plant of just over three hectares that will be built in El Fargue, a neighborhood of Granada. What Icomos has said is that, if carried out, the installation will negatively affect the Alhambra, the Generalife and the Albaicín neighborhood, three historical jewels included for years in the list of the Unesco World Heritage.
Beyond its content and arguments, the warning is important because Icomos is not any entity. The Council is associated with UNESCO and is dedicated precisely to ensure the “protection and value” of heritage. Its report also includes some ears to the Spanish authorities and has served to enliven (even more) the debate that has surrounded a plant for months that has encountered the opposition of politicians, neighbors and environmentalists.
What would the installation be like? The plant is called San Gregorio I and, as required The countryI would occupy about three hectares to produce 4.95 MW. Actually, it is part of a broader project that includes two other facilities, Stadium plus I and Sotoscuro I, of a more or less similar size.
The key is where it is projected: El Fargue (Alquería del Fargue), an area of Granada located in the district of Albaicín. In June, the PSOE proposed in the full paralyzed the macroplanta to “protect the landscape and cultural heritage of the city”, especially the environment of the Alhambra and the Darro valley, considered a good of cultural interest (BIC) since 2024. It is not the only one. Neighbors and Ecologists in Action also mislead the impact that the project would have in the area.
What has Icomos said? That criticisms are more than founded. In its report the agency concludes that the photovoltaic plant entails “a very high risk of negative impact” for the environment of the Alhambra, the Generalife and the Albaicín, a set included in the UNESCO heritage list.
Hence, their authors “strongly advise the stoppage of the planned actions” and give a small touch of attention to the Spanish authorities, to which they warn that they must be “much more vigilant and careful” in the face of projects that affect the protected heritage.
How would the plant affect? It depends on what we are talking about exactly. The effect would not be the same in all cases. If we focus on the Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín the problem is the visual impact. “The Alhambra is more than the fortified monumental complex. The Alhambra territory includes the general’s past The country José Castillo Ruiz, professor at the University of Granada (UGR).
Is it so serious? “The visual impact of an industrial element like this goes much further than a simple discordant element (…). They seriously alter the heritage values of the Alhambra as a historical set, monument and world heritage,” insists the expert, which warns of the loss of centenary olive trees or the alteration of the environment, breaking “continuity” between the Alhambra, the city of Granada, the city of Granada, the valley. If we speak specifically of the Valle del Darro the report, in fact warns of a clear environmental impact.
Things are very different for the promoters of the project, who ensure that the final affectation will be “minimal” and already contemplate incorporating “corrective measures”.
Does it say anything else? Yes. The report recalls that San Gregorio I is only one of the three photovoltaic plants that you want to boost in the area, so it slides that its promoter seeks to protect himself in a “step -by -step process” and “limited actions” that avoid an environmental impact statement (day).
In total the three photovoltaic plants will approach (although staying below) of the ten hectares that would require activating that procedure. As for the processing, Icomos insists that it does not arrive with opening a public exposure process “without effective advertising”. The ideal is to find a way to guarantee “a public participation” during the process, a “real nature”.
Why is it important? The controversy around the plant is not new. A months ago environmentalists and neighbors have already warned of its impact on the territory, olive groves and holm oaks, biodiversity and even talked about “disorder and speculation.” The ICOMOS report is relevant because it has fueled the debate and given oxygen to critics, for whom the document “raises the death certificate of the project.”
Right now its promoters are pending permits for construction (in which the City Council plays a key role) and the resolution of allegations. Their critics rely on the Icomos document to claim that the Alhambra Board of Trustees or the rest of the institutions move, which even goes through their complaints to UNESCO itself.
Images | Wikipedia (Jebulon) y Sharon Mollerus (Flickr)
In WorldOfSoftware | Mediterranean countries seemed ideal for solar panels. Until the dust storms arrived
