The Department of Territory presented this Friday the Self-generation and Energy Sovereignty Program with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency on the roads managed by the Generalitat in 2026. The program will involve the installation of 22 photovoltaic plants along the almost 6,000 kilometers that They make up the road network and will involve an investment of 32.5 million euros.
100% of the panels installed will generate the 21.4 GW/h that the road network requires each year. With this plan, the Government wants to reaffirm its “commitment to the climate emergency and the decarbonization of mobility.” This was explained by the Minister of Territory, Ester Capella, during the presentation of the program at the C-32 photovoltaic plant in Mataró.
Minister Capella spoke of “ambitious objectives” on the part of the Generalitat, such as moving towards the generation of zero emissions in mobility as a whole in Catalonia by the year 2050. “It is not only necessary to improve the vehicle fleet, but also to review how we build and manage roads,” he said.
The energy self-generation program presented by Territorio this Friday foresees the installation of 22 photovoltaic plants in non-urbanized areas, such as the mouths of tunnels or the spaces that were left free of tolls on the C-32 north and C-33 highways. The goal is to have all the plates installed by 2026.
So far, three of these actions are already underway with an amount of 475,000 euros. Territorio has recently completed the installation of 216 solar photovoltaic modules at the top of the C-32 tunnel in Mataró and 64 panels at the Road Control Center located in Vic. Work is also beginning to install 15 on the C- 12, in a tunnel in Benifallet.
The next action of the program will take place in 2024 and will consist of the photovoltaic installation at the old Santa Susanna tollbooth on the C-32. The work will involve an investment of 3.3 million euros and will have 3,312 modules on an area of ??almost 2.3 hectares.
The counselor also expressed the desire to “generate surpluses to lower the cost of energy for all citizens.” Capella added that it is necessary to take advantage of “the potential that roads can offer us by bringing energy generation closer to the places where most energy is consumed.”
Upon the arrival of counselor Ester Capella at the C-32 photovoltaic plant in Mataró, a group of workers from the Innovia company, in charge of the maintenance and conservation of this highway, was waiting for her.
As the workers themselves explained to the Agència Catalana de Notícies (ACN), the reason for the concentration was to convey to the head of Territory their discomfort derived from the consequences of going from working for Abertis to being subcontracted by Innovia. They report that “the company intends to reduce their salaries by 40%, and so far, 6 workers have already been fired.”
