ANACA has raised serious concerns about the possible existence of up to seven battery storage system projects in the municipality of Alcúdia, some of which could be located on rural land. The organization is urging the City Council to clarify "without delay" the actual status of these facilities associated with the Peninsula-Balearic Islands electrical interconnection (Penbal 2), after other municipalities such as Santa Maria and Pollença learned of similar projects when they were already well underway.

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.

The Pollença Town Council, municipal political groups, neighborhood associations, environmental groups, and private citizens have submitted a flood of objections—some 8,000—with technical, legal, and social arguments that categorically reject the "Jilguero ST1" project. It has been a long time since a project has generated such unanimous opposition, which warns of the "environmental, economic, and public health risks" that, according to various sectors of Pollença society, this initiative entails. The "Jilguero ST1" project, with a capacity of 10 MW and 40 MWh, proposes the installation of a lithium-ion battery energy storage plant in Polygon 3 of Pollença, on partially floodable common rural land near waterways and areas of high ecological value. The initiative, promoted by Atlántica Energía Sostenible España SLU, is being processed as a strategic industrial project, but it has generated widespread debate among neighborhoods, municipal groups, and environmental organizations due to its location, environmental risks, and potential economic and social impacts.

The GOB Mallorca (Balearic Ornithological Group of Mallorca) has filed objections against the proposed battery plant in Pollença, promoted by the company Atlantica, arguing that it involves an "inappropriate use" of rural land and poses "serious environmental risks." According to a statement released by the group, the objections have been registered with the Directorate General for Circular Economy, Energy Transition, and Climate Change. The project, which is being processed as a strategic industrial project, includes an energy storage plant with an installed capacity of 10 megawatts (MW) and a storage capacity of 40 megawatt-hours (MWh).

The mayor of Pollença, along with representatives from various local groups, has expressed his strong opposition to the lithium battery plant project that the company Atlántica wants to establish in the municipality. The meeting, held this Wednesday, included representatives from the company behind the project, members of the affected neighborhoods' platform, the fishermen's guild, the hotel association, councilors, and representatives from several municipal groups. According to the mayor, during the meeting, "the company presented the technical specifications of the project, while the other participants expressed their criticisms, their position, and the contradictions they see in the proposal." In the mayor's own words, "the project has been met with clear rejection." The City Council and the citizens' platform have made it clear that they will maintain a united front and will submit the relevant objections, which can be registered until November 12th. The mayor added that "local groups are concerned and believe this project does not meet the needs of Pollença, and they also regret that the regional government has not provided sufficient information about the initiative." For this reason, he asserts that "the City Council's position is completely opposed to the plant being installed in this area of the municipality." The project, which envisions the installation of a lithium-ion battery energy storage plant on rural land, has sparked growing opposition among residents and local organizations, who warn of the potential environmental and landscape impact on a particularly sensitive area. Furthermore, in recent weeks, the Territorial Planning Service of the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) issued an unfavorable report regarding a very similar plant planned for Inca, considering that the proposal exceeds the maximum percentage of the plot that can be occupied by buildings and other structures. The report indicates that the initiative far exceeds the limits on occupied surface area established in the Rural Land Law and the Territorial Plan of Mallorca, which could set a precedent in the evaluation of the Pollença project. This new element reinforces the arguments of the groups opposed to the installation, who denounce the lack of planning and the poor territorial coherence of this type of energy project. With the period for submitting objections open, the future of the plant remains uncertain, but the town council has already made it clear that the priority is to preserve the territory and ensure that any energy initiative responds to the real needs of the municipality. Criticisms from the opposition to the Town Council

The main opposition group in the municipal council, Tots per Pollença - El Pi, harshly criticized the governing coalition on Wednesday, claiming that "the council knew for a year" that the lithium battery project was being processed. The group asserted that "the lack of transparency of the PSOE-MES per Pollença governing coalition is evident," as "it is difficult to believe that the governing coalition was completely unaware of the project that the company Atlántica Sustainable Infrastructure wanted to develop in our municipality: a future lithium battery storage plant" within the Pollença municipal boundaries. The group bases its criticism on the fact that the promoting company, Aratel Renewable Energies SL "He filed a request with the town hall for a certificate of urban planning compatibility for a battery plant in polygon 3, plot 184," and therefore, according to the coalition led by Tomeu Cifre, "the Town Hall has known about it for a year."

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Around a hundred residents of Pollença gathered this Sunday at midday to protest against the lithium battery plant that the US investment fund Atlántica Energía Sostenible wants to build in the municipality. According to the residents themselves, the facility, which is planned for rural land, would occupy a 3,000-square-meter plot of land just meters from a stream and only three meters from several houses and farms. The project includes 16 containers with lithium-ion batteries, intended to store energy and send it to the electrical grid during peak demand.

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