A container to show the impact of the planned battery plant in Almadrava
Around 200 neighbours have gathered in front of the property where the installation is planned and have shown the dimensions of one of the structures that would be part of the project
PollençaA large container was the central element this Thursday of a new protest against planned lithium battery storage plant projects in Pollença. Around 200 residents gathered in l'Almadrava, in front of the farm where BESS Servet is planned, to show on the ground the volume that the installation's structures would have.
The organizers have placed an empty container of a similar size to those that, as they explained during the event, would form part of the plant. The protest aimed to visually show the dimensions of the project: the protesters displayed one and assured that the installation foresees up to 16 structures of this type.
The BESS Servet project, promoted by BESS Beta 1 SL, foresees a plant with a power of 10 MW and a storage capacity of 44.03 MWh on an agricultural farm of 6,941 square meters, located between the paths of Can Canaveret and Can Fiol. The planned investment is 3.73 million euros.
During the gathering, the manifesto against these projects was also read, the same text that was made public last Sunday in Pollença's Plaça Major and which includes a large part of the demands expressed since the first mobilizations against the installation of batteries in the municipality.
"We are not against renewable energies, nor technological advancement. We are against a model that ignores the territory, the inhabitants, and truly sustainable solutions," defends the manifesto. The residents demand an energy model adapted to the territory, with more citizen participation and that avoids the installation of these types of projects on rural land.
The rejection extends to both projects
The mobilization against the batteries began following the Jilguero ST1 project, planned for the Llenaira area. The appearance of a second proposal in Almadrava has led the neighborhood movement to broaden its rejection of both projects.
This Thursday's protest aimed to move the debate to the very location where the new facility is planned. The placement of the container served to make visible one of the residents' main concerns: the impact they believe these infrastructures would have on the landscape and rustic land of Pollença.
The rejection has also reached the political sphere. The Pollença City Council plenary session unanimously approved last month the rejection of the installation of lithium battery plants on rustic land. Furthermore, the City Council has worked with local entities and environmental groups to coordinate the allegations against BESS Servet.
The Almadrava concentration comes just days after the protest organized in Pollença's Plaça Major. The conveners insist they will maintain their mobilizations against the projects, and the manifesto ends precisely with this idea: "Pollença is not an empty space on a map; it is home, it is history, it is nature, it is identity. And that is why we will return as many times as necessary."