The Nordeste Vivo Platform accuses the Government of having conducted the public consultation process for the Sectoral Plan for Accelerated Zones for Renewable Energies (PSZAER) without making available to the populations the information necessary to assess the real impacts of the areas proposed to host large renewable energy projects.
In a statement released this Tuesday, on the eve of the conclusion of the public consultation, the civic movement states that it was only able to identify the concrete location of some of the areas planned for Nordeste Transmontano through an alleged leak of information, denouncing what it regards as a “grave lack of transparency” by the responsible entities.
According to the platform, during the consultation period, the cartographic files and the georeferenced data that would allow precise localization of the proposed zones and cross-referencing them with other territorial planning instruments, such as Municipal Master Plans (PDM), were requested several times.
According to the movement, this information was never officially made available.
“It is deeply worrying that a citizens’ organization was able to obtain decisive information for this process only through a leak. The most serious is that this information always existed, but was never made available to those who had the right to know it. This shows that there was never real transparency and reinforces the conviction that this process was conducted in the shadows, far from public scrutiny and without the respect that a decision of this magnitude demands,” says José Jambas, representative of the Nordeste Vivo Platform.
Concerns about agricultural soils in Mogadouro
The platform states that the information analyzed in the meantime allowed identifying areas designated for the installation of energy production infrastructures in zones classified as having high agricultural value in the municipality of Mogadouro.
For the movement’s representatives, this situation raises concerns about potential impacts on agricultural operations and on the local economy.
“We are not facing a debate between those in favor or against renewable energies. The Platform has always defended the energy transition. What we denounce is a planning model that sacrifices interior territories without transparency, seriousness, information, and respect for the populations,” argues José Jambas.
Questions about the planning process
The Nordeste Vivo Platform also states that, after cross-referencing the information obtained with projects already known from international operators in the energy sector, it found matches that, in its view, justify greater scrutiny of the process.
“When we cross-referenced the information we had access to with projects already known, we realized that the coincidences are too evident to be ignored. It is hard not to conclude that the territory is being divided to serve the interests of large international groups,” says José Jambas.
The movement believes that the approval of the PSZAER could reduce the margin of influence of the populations in the future licensing phases of the projects.
“If this plan is approved in these terms, many decisions will become practically consolidated. The moment when citizens could truly influence this process is now. After July 15 it could be too late,” warns.
Platform calls for suspension of the process
In light of what it considers transparency and public participation failures, the Nordeste Vivo Platform calls for the suspension of the current procedure and for the full disclosure of georeferenced information before any final decision.
The movement also demands that the Ministers of the Environment and Agriculture take political responsibility for the process.
If their demands are not met, the platform says it may move to broader forms of contestation.
According to the statement, protest actions and other nationwide mobilization initiatives could be promoted to demand the suspension of the process and the restoration of public participation mechanisms considered adequate.
The PSZAER aims to identify areas considered priorities to accelerate the installation of renewable energy projects, within the framework of national and European decarbonization and energy transition targets. However, the process has generated contestation in several territories, particularly in rural areas where concerns relate to land occupation, the landscape, biodiversity and agricultural activity.
