Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.majorcadailybulletin.com
The Balearic government has opened a public consultation period for two new battery energy storage projects in Bunyola and Capdepera, both earmarked for plots of land classified for agricultural use.
The larger of the two, BESS Son Reus I, is planned for the Son Pons area in Bunyola and represents an investment of €21 million. With a power output of 39.48 MW and a storage capacity of 128.76 MWh, it would rank among the largest projects of this kind proposed in Mallorca.
It will consist of 24 battery containers and six transformer stations, while its grid-connection infrastructure will span three municipalities: Bunyola, Marratxi and Palma. Its capacity, on its own, exceeds that of the four plants planned for Pollensa, though it is smaller than the project proposed for Camp de Mar in Andratx – 300 MWh of storage and a budget of €35 million. The Capdepera project involves an investment of nearly €900,000 and a storage capacity of 13.44 MWh.
Plans for energy storage in Mallorca have sparked considerable controversy in Andratx, Inca, Santa Maria and Pollensa; the strongest protests have been in Pollensa. Residents and town halls have concerns for their impact on the landscape and the environment, while there are also worries about safety.
Opposition generally isn’t to the plants in principle – it is accepted that they are needed as part of the renewable energy infrastructure – but to the fact that they are being planned for rustic/rural land.
In the summer, the government announced a moratorium on further renewable energy facilities; it is undertaking a two-year assessment of requirements. The moratorium doesn’t, however, put on hold planned facilities for which authorisation processing had started.
