“When preparing for an outing to the mountains, if you had two options, one with a wind farm on the route and the other without, which would you choose?” The question is formulated by Juan Pablo Sánchez, a federated mountaineer, who is concerned about the impact that the tall windmills that the implementation of renewable energies are placing in the interior of the territory may have on mountain activities.
For this reason, with this curiosity, he launched a survey of fans through the mountaineering federations and hiking and mountain clubs, although with little success: he only obtained 121 responses that, yes, show how mostly (57%) the hiker confesses that walking between wind turbines is an “unpleasant” experience.
“I hoped that we would have more significant answers, so that it could be analyzed by autonomous communities, but there is not enough weight, although I am not giving up. Someone has to have the courage to ask it,” he explained to La Vanguardia. Sánchez does not hide that he is concerned about the effect that the three projected wind farms may have in Utiel, where he has a residence and spends long periods of time.
They are the projects of the Cabezo del Fraile Wind Farm, with a total power of 18 MW and made up of 4 wind turbines of 4.50 MW of unit power; the so-called Sierra de Negrete II Wind Farm, with a total power of 40.50 MW and made up of 9 wind turbines of 4.50 MW of unit power; and the Sierra de Negrete I Wind Farm, with a total power of 38.40 MW, made up of 8 wind turbines with a unit capacity of 4.80 MW.
A total of 21 wind turbines that will be added to the other 42 that make up wind zone number 9 of the Valencian Community Wind Plan. In total, 63 windmills to which environmental entities put ‘buts’. In fact, the Utiel neighborhood association is in collaboration with Utiel-Requena sostenible, Renovables éticas and the Valencian Coordination for the rational location of renewable energies, especially critical of the ways in which the new energy model spreads through rural areas.
The Ministry of Sustainable Economy published last November the modification of this plan to submit it to public information and the allegations phase has already ended. The developer company is Eólicas Mare Nostrum SL., which extends its project to eight wind farms: Cerro Pelado, Sierra de Bicuerca, Sierra de Bicuerca II, Sierra de Tejo, Sierra de Chiva and the aforementioned Cabezo de Fraile, Sierra de Negrete I and Sierra de Negrete II.
These last three are in the municipality of Utiel where, explains the neighborhood association, it will have effects on “Negrete Park”, a sports area in the Sierra del Negrete, which they say attracts a large number of fans every week and is the scene of trail competitions7 and MBT/MTB.
For this reason, and given the absence of studies on the subject, Juan Pablo Sánchez promoted the survey from the Sierra Negrete de Utiel Neighborhood Association. “From my experience, I have the feeling that it does affect, that depending on the activity you are going to do, you would prefer to go somewhere else and I care how this impacts the tourist infrastructure in the area, such as bars, restaurants or accommodation,” he explains. .
He maintains that the organizers of mountain tests in areas where there are projected wind farms should survey their participants to anticipate their impact in future editions.
For this reason, it calls for “broader and deeper” analyzes on the impact of wind plants on human activities on nature, not only in sports activities, but also in wine tourism, gastro-tourism, the second home market, the telecommuting or retirement withdrawals.
