Residents and other interested parties have until 9 December to have their say on plans for a large solar farm in the hills above Cachopo, in the municipality of Tavira. The proposed 173-acre site in the Serra do Caldeirão would see 527 holm oaks and a cork oak felled, with 1,368 holm oaks planted in compensation.
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) opened public consultation on the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) last month, 27 October. The Terra Ruiva photovoltaic plant would cover around 173 acres, that is around 70 hectares, of the Serra do Caldeirão, close to the small villages of Alcarias de Baixo and Amoreira. According to the developers, it would have a total installed capacity of 53.42 megawatt-peak (MWp).
The scheme also includes a 1.5-kilometre overhead high-voltage line, supported by ten pylons, to link the plant to the Tavira electricity substation.
The developer, C.Solar NE14 Brinqueira, S.A., belongs to Chint Solar Portugal. The land is currently home to scrub, holm oaks, and stone pines, and the plans involve clearing vegetation and moving large amounts of earth.
The biggest sticking point is likely to be the trees, with the environmental assessment explaining that 527 holm oaks and one cork oak must come down to make way for the plant. To compensate, the developers propose planting 1,368 holm oaks on 8.71 hectares in the parish of Cachopo, land that has been leased for 20 years.
The promoters argue the project will help Portugal and the EU meet renewable energy targets, as well as cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
In the assessment they concede that clearing the land and moving soil will alter the inherent characteristics of the countryside, increasing compaction and erosion. However, they say that once topsoil is replaced and the landscape restored, as the construction plans provide, the impact on soil and land use will be “negative and not significant”. They offer the same judgment on the expected effects on flora and fauna, which they say will be confined to the amended areas and to the construction period.
On the economy, the promoters expect a “positive, though not significant” effect, thanks to temporary jobs and spending in local shops, hotels, and restaurants. They add that the investment will have knock-on benefits for the local and regional economy in the years ahead. Construction is expected to take 13 months, and the plant is intended to operate for 30 years.
The documents can be read on the participa.pt portal, where comments can be submitted until 9 December.
Source: Jornal do Algarve
Photo credit: Expresso
