More than 150 neighbors protest in front of Prohens against the lithium battery plants in Pollença

PollensaMore than 150 residents gathered this Sunday in Pollença, coinciding with the fair's official reception, to show their rejection of the four lithium battery storage plant projects planned on rural land in the municipality.

The conflict began last year with Jilguero ST1, a plant with 10 MW of power and 40 MWh of planned capacity on rustic land in the Llenaire area. The project triggered strong citizen mobilization and the ARA Balears reported at the time the submission of some 8,000 signatures against the initiative by individuals, entities, and administrations.

Months later, a second project appeared, BESS Servet, in l’Almadrava. This facility plans for 10 MW of power and 44.03 MWh of storage capacity on a 6,941-square-meter agricultural plot located between the paths of Can Canaveret and Can Fiol. Last July, about 200 neighbors brought a shipping container to the site to show the dimensions that, according to the organizers, the plant's structures would have.

Since then, the number of known projects has increased to four. In addition to those in Llenaire and l’Almadrava, Bocchoris BESS, also in the vicinity of l’Almadrava, and BESS Pollentia Energy, in the Can Vila area, have been added. The platform considers that this proliferation confirms one of the concerns it already expressed when the second project became known: that the installations would not be isolated cases and would end up being repeated on different plots in the municipality.

The mobilization took place around 10 a.m. in front of the Taverna, where participants received the authorities with whistles and banners before reading a manifesto. Among the institutional representatives was the President of the Government, Marga Prohens.

After the event, members of the Stop Lithium Battery Plants in Pollença platform were able to speak with Prohens. As a member of the collective explained to ARA Balears, the president has committed to receiving the platform so it can convey its concerns to her directly.

In the manifesto, the neighbors insist that they are not against renewable energy or technological progress, but against a model that, in their opinion, does not sufficiently take into account the territory or the environmental, social, and economic impact. “Neither Pollença nor Mallorca is for sale,” the text points out, which demands protecting the landscape, health, safety, and natural heritage of the municipality.

The protest comes three days after the Pollença City Council plenary session unanimously approved a motion rejecting the four projects. The proposal was signed by all municipal groups except the PP, which finally also voted in favor.

The four projects planned in Pollença have generated growing neighborhood mobilization during the last few months. The platform had already carried out other protests and, in this Sunday's manifesto, warns that it will continue to mobilize "as many times as necessary".