The Friends of the Coanegra Valley Association has filed objections against the proposed second lithium-ion battery energy storage plant on a rural plot in Santa Maria del Camí. The group rejects the initiative and questions whether it can be processed as a project of strategic industrial interest. The protest comes after the Regional Ministry of Business, Self-Employment, and Energy opened the public consultation period for the application for this designation and the authorization of the project, called Bess Santa Maria. The association believes the facility lacks the public interest that would justify this administrative treatment. According to the association, it is a "private and speculative activity with the sole purpose of profit," lacking a production process, stable job creation, and integration within the local energy plan. For this reason, they argue that it does not meet the requirements to be considered of strategic interest. The group also maintains that the project cannot be located on rural land. They point out that legislation only exceptionally permits this type of installation for industrial facilities linked to renewable energy production, a category in which, according to their interpretation, the planned plant does not fit. Furthermore, they believe the initiative implies an inappropriate use of common rural land, which—they emphasize—should be designated for agricultural, livestock, or forestry activities. In this regard, they assert that the installation is incompatible with the urban planning classification of the area and that, in any case, it would require a Declaration of General Interest and the mandatory territorial report from the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca). The organization also denounces that the project encroaches on the municipal powers of the Santa Maria del Camí City Council regarding urban planning. They indicate that the initiative lacks any favorable report and has not been validated by the municipal governing board or the mayor. According to the association, the proposal contradicts the municipality's political and urban planning guidelines and violates the principle of local autonomy, in addition to failing to respect the criteria for citizen participation and transparency in the selection of locations for energy infrastructure. In this regard, they denounce the fact that the plant's location has not been consulted or negotiated with neighborhood associations or local institutional representatives. Environmental and safety risks

Among the arguments presented in their objections, the group also warns of the potential environmental and safety risks associated with this type of facility. They explain that the potential leaks of toxic gases or liquids in the event of a thermal failure, which could affect vegetation, soil, and aquifers, have not been adequately assessed. The association believes the project violates the precautionary principle, as it would be located in an area with no prior industrial use, which, in their opinion, would entail a significant transformation of the environment. They also emphasize that the proposed plot has high ecological value and forms part of the agricultural and landscape mosaic located between the municipalities of Consell and Santa Maria del Camí. Finally, the group warns that lithium-ion batteries carry potential risks, such as explosions, difficult-to-extinguish fires resulting from thermal runaways, the emission of toxic gases harmful to human and animal health, and possible chemical contamination of waterways.

]]>

Friends of the Coanegra Valley, a member of the 'Renewables Yes, But Not Like This' platform, has filed its objections to the installation of the 'Laurea BESS III ENERGY' industrial power plant planned for the municipality of Santa Maria. Among other issues, they detail that it is a business "completely disconnected from the energy needs of the surrounding area," since, in their opinion, the sole purpose of the project is profit. Likewise, the association points out that no local civic entity or public administration has been consulted or heard in order to decide on the least socially and environmentally damaging location.

]]>

The Balearic Islands have faced a new threat in recent months that could add a deluge of industrial facilities, iron, and concrete to the already damaged rural landscape. To the haphazard development of villas and the solar farms that have been disfiguring the islands in recent years, another concept has now been added: lithium battery storage facilities that various developers, mainly investment funds and energy sector companies, are pushing across the region. According to data confirmed to ARA Baleares by the Balearic Government, 34 projects are already being processed, 18 of which are specifically planned for rural land, while the rest are planned for industrial or urban areas.

]]>

The proliferation of energy storage plant (ESP) projects and associated infrastructure on rural land has sparked a new debate in Mallorca. In just a few months, several initiatives—in Inca, Santa María del Camino, and Pollensa—have come to light, all sharing a common pattern: large-scale technological installations seeking to locate in agricultural or natural areas, facing opposition from local residents, environmentalists, and, in some cases, unfavorable technical reports. The debate surrounding the energy and land-use model, compatibility with the landscape, and the risk of dispersed industrialization has led to a significant territorial conflict.

]]>

This Thursday evening at 8 pm, a meeting was held at the Pollença Club by residents of the Almadrava area and the Llenaire road to inform the public of the risks posed by the construction of the Jilguero ST.1 lithium battery plant, promoted by the American investment fund Atlántica Energa. The meeting comes after, according to one of the affected residents, the project was discovered almost by chance: "No one had told us anything. We found out through the newspapers on October 3, and from then on we began to investigate it on our own."

]]>