The decision to build the very high voltage line from Aragon to Catalonia (Valmuel-Begues) depends exclusively on the Generalitat, according to sources from the Ministry for Ecological Transition. The ball is in the hands of the Catalan administration, they reiterate from the Ministry. Who must pronounce is the General Directorate of Environmental and Natural Mediation Policies, headed by Marc Vilahur. The ball is above the net, but it is not known which way it will fall, since the two administrations involved (the central and the regional) say that decisions that are key in the file do not correspond to them, but to the other.
“If the Generalitat does not give a favorable report on the line project, the conditions required in the environmental impact statement are not met and the file expires.” This was stated by sources from the ministry, whose key argument is that the Generalitat is the Administration with competences in matters of biodiversity. “If the Generalitat issues an unfavorable report, the project will not be able to prosper,” they stressed.
This is the response of the ministry after the declarations of Minister of Climate Action, David Mascort, who accused the central Administration of acting “in a very unfair manner towards the Generalitat”, of transferring a responsibility that is state to it and of “exerting pressure”. to support the line.
This high voltage line (400 kV) must carry renewable energy from the large green battery of Aragón de Forestalia to the Barcelona region.
The Generalitat must prepare a report on biodiversity that assesses the impact of the route of the line (analyzing protected species, natural spaces…) and send it to the Ministry before the file obtains (or not) the final administrative authorization for construction, a decision on which the Ministry must rule before January 14, 2024.
The file for this line obtained in April a positive environmental declaration favorable to the project but conditional on the report from the Generalitat.
Ministry sources argue that this decision was made because the Generalitat did not clearly and explicitly speak out against the project. And that is why the Ministry offered that opportunity for him to pronounce himself.
“The Generalitat did not say that the project with the changes introduced was incompatible with the preservation of the natural environment,” say Ministry sources to explain why the file did not obtain a negative impact statement.
But for the file to conclude with a final administrative authorization for construction, the “conformity” of the Catalan Administration is required, according to the April resolution.
The Secretary of State for the Environment (responsible for the evaluation of large projects, more than 50 MW, of state competence) elaborates on this argument, saying that the Generalitat itself presented allegations to the initial project and that these gave rise to corrections for part of the developer company, all this proves that the regional administration did not judge it unfeasible.
For all these reasons, the Ministry understood that the administrative process of environmental evaluation could not be paralyzed, since the Generalitat did not expressly say that there was incompatibility with the natural environment, and, on the other hand, it was urgent for the Ministry to pronounce itself; and to do it before July 14, in accordance with the strict deadlines indicated in the royal decree that regulates the deadlines and milestones of this type of procedure, and to avoid incurring responsibilities (for lack of pronouncement).
