The promoters and investors of solar and tourism projects in the Alqueva area, in Alentejo, yesterday challenged an ICNF opinion that allegedly led to the issuance of the unfavorable Environmental Impact Statement and have already filed an administrative complaint.
“The decision puts at risk an estimated investment of 350 million euros in a project that has the full support of Moura municipality,” the promoting and investing companies FVC Group, Insun and Lightsource bp said in a press release.
According to the companies, the unfavorable Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) for the project known as the Alqueva Solar Photovoltaic Plant, issued in January, was based on a negative opinion from the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF).
The opinion “is based mainly on concerns related to the presence of a bat colony 1.5 kilometres from the venture and the potential impacts arising from the reduction of 158 hectares of an olive grove used as one of several feeding areas for the species,” they emphasise.
However, the companies claim that “the ICNF decision also ignores mitigation measures for 688 hectares, within the same distance from the bat shelter, and four times larger than the 158 hectares of olive groves affected.”
The promoters and investors also note that the proposed mitigation measures incorporate recommendations from CHIRO – Bat Association Morcegos.pt and that there is a scientific opinion from the Center for Research in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO) that validates them.
“The situation becomes even more paradoxical considering that, if the solar project is not authorized, the landowner has already received authorization from public authorities to proceed with felling olive groves over a total area of 211.59 hectares,” they note.
The promoters and investors also emphasize that, in 2024, during the environmental licensing process conducted by the APA, the project “was deeply reformed,” with a reduction of “27% of the area occupied,” in order to “incorporate the technical recommendations of the environmental authorities.”
The promoters and investors also state that “the development of the tourist project is directly dependent on the realization of the solar project,” warning that “the infeasibility of the solar energy project also jeopardizes the €50 million tourism investment planned for the Moura municipality (Beja).”
“The investment would create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, boost the local economy and establish a new anchor for development for tourism in the interior of the country,” they note.
FVC GROUP is the company that owns the lands, which it intends to lease for the installation of the photovoltaic solar plant and is also the promoter of the tourist project, in another part of the estate, in an investment planned at €50 million.
The solar project, with an estimated value of €300 million, was developed by Insun and, later, purchased by Lightsource bp.
According to the non-technical summary of the Environmental Impact Study, the solar plant is expected to have an installed capacity of 431.53 megawatts-peak (MWp) and a maximum nominal power of 354 megavolt-amperes (MVA).
Covering about 570.46 hectares, it will consist of 692,970 modules and will have a very high voltage line to inject the energy produced into the Public Electric Service Network.
