Among olive trees over 300 years and harvests that feed dozens of people, Antonio Miguel, farmer of Jaén with 48 years of work in the field as an autonomous back, sees how his world falls apart. On behalf of the ecological transition and using a law before democracy, Hundreds of affected farmers are forced to deliver their olive groves so that they “propose” in them solar megaplants. Panel farm will be operated by Greenalia and FRV companies, with Spanish and Saudi capital, respectively.
In Antonio’s work, which has about 3-4 hectares of olive groves, they work “at least 18 people” collecting olives. It is a family field, which inherited from its ancestors and that he intends to read his grandchildren. Now, part of its farm – quiet during generations – will be crossed by a voltage line that is part of a large photovoltaic project, as projected will be in operation at least 30 years.
«Since I have been a child, my illusion and my life has been to work in the field. It is not fair, ”he says in telephone conversation with this newspaper. Antonio’s voice breaks across the line, as happened during his appearance in the programPublic mirror of Antena 3, where he denounced the increase in expropriations is causing a drama that thought “impossible in full democracy” and described the modus operandi as the “dictatorship.”
The Jienense farmer explains that, although he was offered a lease, there was no room for choice: «I have signed because they have cornered me. That is not an agreement, or you throw or push you», He laments, while denouncing that no representative of the Public Administration properly informed them of what was going to happen, nor has he visited them until today.
According to estimates of the North Campiña platform against the solar megaplants, it is estimated that up to 100,000 olive trees could be started in the estimated power (400 MW), which belong to about 150 farmers. The promoter Greenalia reduces that figure to 35,932; FRV ARROYADAS has not spoken. The discrepancy does not prevent the conflict from having strongly lit in the affected villages.
Lopera, Arjona and Marmolejo are the epicenters of an energy revolution that advances so fast in Spain, that sometimes It does not leave margin to give advisory and open processes with rural communities That they house her. In total, the seven Greenalia projects – Zumajo I and II, Marmolejo Solar I and II, Guadame II, III and IV – will occupy 554 hectares and add 310 MW of installed power, according to data published in the Official Gazette of the Province and confirmed by the company.
Farmers also complain that these olive trees that fed generations (and that are a source of pride for Spain, thanks to the precious virgin olive oil they produce) are being expropriated under a regulation that dates from Francoism. This is the law of the electricity sector, which allows to declare any installation with more than 3 megawatts, which facilitates the use of forced expropriation. In return, owners receive compensation. But many say that the process has been little negotiated.
A field that does not speculate
“Or arrogas or expropriate you”, Antonio says. “Many companies will have seen the skies open by that amount, but many families (their workers) will not be able to have the livelihood of their life,” he denounces. In his voice there is a mixture of sadness, anger and dignity. «What I want people to have a future. I want many people to eat from the field. I have always said that the distributed things are the ones that are going well ».
Although those affected receive compensation, not everyone believes that they can replace decades of work. Antonio says that «we take great care of the field and Our lands produce more than 2000 and peak euros. In fact, look at what I tell you, I have the money saved in case you could back down. I don’t want it. He talks about defending a field that feeds, not one with which he is speculated.
A complaint that is also recurrent among the neighbors, is that plants could have been installed in lower quality, less fertile. «We heard that Moreno Bonilla planned to put photovoltaic plates in Andalusia in low production sites. But they have come to “suck the tit”, that is, comfortable; To the plain, well worked. We agree on the plates, they are good, but not on the site. Remove olive trees here, it hurts. They say they will leave the lands the same when they leave in 40 years, but we take care of it daily, it will not be the same, ”he says.
Thus, the energy transition model based on solar megaplants raises a dilemma: Can you talk about sustainability when the price is paid by the rural fabric? The projects went through the public information process and have been declared of public utility, which allows its execution. But many affected denounce lack of communication, opacity and pressures, and ask, that New Spain does not forget its roots.