After solar parks, lithium batteries arrive: controversy in Pollença, Inca and Santa Maria

PalmThe 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.

Inca: a technical report that derails the project

The project for a 66 kV BESS energy storage plant and associated substation in Inca has received an unfavorable report from the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca). The technical experts conclude that the proposal, as currently presented, violates basic criteria for its location on rural land. The document, to which ARA Baleares has had access, indicates that the percentage of land occupied far exceeds the maximum permitted by the Rural Land Law and the Territorial Plan. Reinforced concrete platforms, technical buildings, and other construction elements give the facility a character typical of urban or industrial land, incompatible with the agricultural environment.

The report also highlights significant shortcomings in landscape integration: the developers have not presented visual alternatives nor have they taken into account such visible elements as the control building or the planned noise barrier, nor their impact on neighboring buildings. The noise study is considered incomplete; The vegetation barrier is insufficient, and there is no justification for why the evacuation line must cross private plots, erosion zones, floodplains, and even the Inca waterfront's territorial redevelopment area.

The technicians' conclusion is clear: the project, as currently planned, is incompatible with the landscape, the rural land, and the existing territorial planning regulations. This situation makes the project unfeasible in the short term. According to Inca's Councilor for Urban Planning, Andreu Caballero, "At this time, we are not aware that the development company has taken any further steps," he told ARA Baleares.

Santa Maria (Coanegra Valley): Residents and environmentalists criticize a "speculative" model

In the Coanegra Valley, residents and the Amics de la Vall association have reacted strongly against another planned BESS project between Santa Maria and Consell. The criticism, in this case, stems not only from technical aspects but also from the energy and territorial model it represents. Residents consider it a private initiative, speculative in nature and lacking any real public interest. They argue that it does not generate stable employment, integrate any productive process, and has nothing to do with the renewable energies that legislation exceptionally permits on rural land. "It is an improper use and contrary to the agricultural vocation of the territory," they denounce. They also point out that the project has been proposed without the approval of the City Council or the governing commission, which violates municipal powers and threatens to set a precedent for dispersed industrialization. The traditional landscape and the agricultural mosaic of the area—of great ecological and cultural value—would be seriously affected. Concern over the risk of accidents is another key issue: potential explosions and battery fires, toxic gas emissions, and aquifer contamination. Residents complain that there is no emergency plan or lockdown protocol in place.

In their closing statement, Amics del Vall demands that not only this project be halted, but also any similar infrastructure on rural land, and advocates for a model focused on self-consumption, distributed generation, and the use of already developed land, such as industrial parks and logistics zones.

Pollença: the third front and growing unease

In Pollença, a third energy storage project has once again stirred up controversy. According to ARA Baleares, the proposal envisions the installation of a new plant in an area of great scenic sensitivity.which has generated rejection among entities Local groups and territorial defense platforms, as well as the town council itself, have expressed their opposition. "The Pollença Town Council, together with the citizens' platform, has submitted objections and maintains a united front against the project. The Council reaffirms its position that it is completely opposed to the plant being installed in this area of the municipality." For his part, the mayor of Pollença, Martí March, warns of the risks and questions its legality: "The environmental impact, water risks, and effects on the health of people, flora, and fauna have not been taken into account." Although the technical details are still being analyzed, the debate revolves around the same dilemma: to what extent can or should these facilities, conceived as support for the electrical grid, be located in agricultural or natural areas? The perception among local groups is that there is a "silent wave" of industrial projects being justified under the umbrella of the energy transition but which do not respond to a planned or balanced model. A debate that goes beyond specific projects

The cases of Inca, Santa Maria, and Pollença raise a deeper question: how to deploy the energy infrastructure of an island with a limited landscape while simultaneously protecting its agricultural and natural values? Environmental groups warn that, without clear regulations, Mallorca risks a string of projects that will transform rural land into a new industrial frontier. Local councils are demanding greater participation and planning. And land management experts remind us that the law exists to ensure that the energy transition does not lead to landscape degradation. Meanwhile, these three projects have reignited a seemingly endless debate: the energy transition is "essential," environmentalists assert, but as the GOB (Balearic Ornithological Group) has repeatedly argued, "we must plan and decide where and how, instead of simply processing building permits." For this reason, residents and conservationists are asking the authorities for an energy "map" and not to redraw the islands "without sufficient social consensus."