The protest platform Di No A Las Torres En Granada, who had campaigned against the construction of pylons across the Lecrín Valley, successfully, now oppose the installation of 200-metre high wind turbines on what used to be forest land.

They suggest that there was political collusion, involving the land destroyed by fire, to put a wind farm in its place, some implying that dark political figures were even behind the fire and efforts to put it out.

For this reason they have organised a protest in the city of Granada on the 27th of June; unfortunately, we will already be at the printer so cannot include its turnout and outcome here.

They do not oppose wind farms, but do not want them at the expense of deforestation through a deliberate failure to restore burnt forestland in favour of this kind of green energy.

On the other hand, the Mayor of El Pinar, Paco Titos, issued a statement contradicting the platform’s claims, which he considers is biased. He points out that plans to build the wind farms were put down over two years ago, long before the fire.

Two wind-farm parks had been planned in 2019, called Mizán and Vico within the municipalities of El Pinar, Los Guájares, El Valle, Albuñuelas and Villamena. The actual sites were in the areas known as Los Jarales and Cuevas Labras, each was to have five wind turbines but the Junta de Andalucía finally only authorised one structure in each.

He went on to say that the companies behind the turbines wanted to mount a wind farm in the Cordillera del Santo Cristo, but he had opposed it because of the visual impact.

He concluded that what has appeared in the Official Regional Gazette (BOJA) was only the administrative outcome of those projects and not new ones brought about to ‘take advantage of’ the fire damage.

(News: El Pinar, Valle de Lecrín, Granada, Andalucia)