PRIORAT MANIFESTO ON WIND FARMS

Catalonia has seen a spectacular rise in the number of proposals for the construction of wind farms. This proliferation of projects, far from being the result of a planned, regulated wind power development programme which ensures that such projects are compatible with the conservation of natural spaces and with sustainable regional development, is rooted in purely financial and profitability considerations.

The choice of suitable locations to build wind farms has not been based on any detailed, in-depth survey of existing resources. As a result, many of the proposed projects are sited in areas included in the PEIN (a national catalogue of areas of natural interest) or other areas of great natural, ecological or landscape value. Furthermore, the lack of planning and regulation has led to the rise of speculative operations, compromising the sites affected in return for raising false hopes in the municipalities concerned.

Faced with this situation, the Plataforma per a la Defensa del Patrimoni Natural del Priorat (Platform for the Defence of the Natural Heritage of the Priorat), despite being in favour of wind power, but in view of the plans to site wind farms on the Montsant massif, the mountain of La Mola, the hills of La Llena, Llaberia, El Motlló and Puigcerver and the Prades mountains (Siurana),

STATES THE FOLLOWING:

1.- Wind farms must under no circumstances be allowed in any of the areas included in the above-mentioned PEIN or in other areas of special ecological or landscape value, having as they do a serious effect on the environment.

2.- It is an intolerable contradiction that the autonomous government of Catalonia, the Generalitat, which promoted the application of the PEIN to safeguard the integrity of the natural areas covered by it, should then go on to approve projects like wind farms, which will have serious effects on these areas. It must be borne in mind that the construction of such wind farms involves impacts including the opening up of large access roads for the fleets of heavy machinery, the destruction of vegetation, large-scale earth movements and the erection of high-voltage power lines and pylons: overall, the complete transformation of a spot.

3.- Extensive scientific research conducted in different countries show that the building of wind farms in areas of natural interest has a major impact on the flora, fauna (in particular, for certain protected bird species), cause a considerable visual impact and produce noise pollution.

4.- The unspoilt landscape and natural value in terms of plant and animal life in our mountains, favoured by the lack of human pressure on the natural environment, have become our greatest economic asset. These factors go to make up the image which helps to sell our wine throughout the world, supports the businesses in the local tourist industry, attracts visitors from around the world and draws artists, painters and photographers to the Priorat in search of a charm which is hard to find in the urbanised Catalonia of the 21st century.

5.- Approving projects which involve the indiscriminate construction of wind farms places those who govern in the position of deciding land use in the territory, in a situation where such wind farms are incompatible with the holiday and winemaking sectors, both of which are rooted in the image of an unspoilt Priorat, neither built-up nor harmed by aggressive development. The construction of wind farms generates a negligible number of jobs, while causing serious harm to the area’s real economic forces.

6.- Alternatives exist which avoid the siting of wind farms in areas of natural interest. In other European countries such as Denmark or Austria, wind farms are being built in areas which are already degraded and humanised: on the sea walls of ports, beside motorways or in certain types of cultivated areas.

7.- This Platform stands for models of rural development which respect the environment and enable sustainable growth in the Priorat, as well as for promoting rational energy use and reducing waste. We are aware that the Spanish power system produces an energy surplus, even at times of peak demand, and that the proposed wind farms are not to replace other dirtier, more dangerous ways of generating power such as nuclear and thermal power stations.

Therefore:

1.- We demand that the authorities prohibit the construction of wind farms within the areas covered by the PEIN and other areas of special ecological interest outside the PEIN. In the case of the Priorat this includes the Montsant, La Mola, the hills of La Llena, El Motlló, Puigcerver and the Prades mountains (Siurana).

2.- We call on the Catalan Parliament to draw up, together with the civil groups involved, a development plan for wind energy resources which adheres to the following criteria:

· That wind farms may not be sited in national parks, nature reserves, landscapes listed as being of national interest and PEIN areas.

· That it specify areas suitable for the building of wind farms with the minimum environmental impact.

· That it specify the conditions to be met in the construction of wind farms in authorised areas in order to minimise their ecological, landscape and social impact.

3.- We demand that the new ruling executive of the council (Consell Comarcal) of the Priorat, municipalities, political parties and other authorities involved:

· Act in accordance with the contents of this manifesto.

· Promote development plans for PEIN areas which ensure their preservation.

· Seek economic backing for the municipalities to undertake the responsible, sustainable management of the area’s resources and the effective protection of these natural areas.

4.- We demand that the authorities act to encourage sustainable economic development on the basis of the declaration of the Parc Natural del Montsant and that of the Prades mountains and the hills of La Llena.

Falset, 13th August 1999