Offshore wind farms rejected by Marbella Town Hall and ecologists

Plans for offshore wind farms on the Costa del Sol have been rejected by local councils and environmental groups who highlight the environmental cost and impact on tourism.

Opposition to the proposed wind farms follows approval on February 28 by the Plan de Ordenación del Espacio Marítimo (POEM), a maritime planning authority, to advance offshore wind farms that includes two projects off the coast of Malaga. led by IberBlue Wind and Ferrovial.

The Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol criticized the state government for presenting plans without proper dialogue with the municipalities.

The mayoress of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, expressed her opposition to the offshore wind farm project, stressing that it threatens her main industry, tourism.

So far, the Fuengirola City Council has refused to comment on the project until “they have more in-depth information”. One of the main concerns of the local authority is “the fishing sector”.

The fishermen are concerned that the proposal could significantly affect their activities in the area. The president of the Marbella Fishermen’s Guild, Manuel Haro, stressed that it would harm “shrimp and lobster trawlers” that fish “about 15 miles from the coast.” The wind farms would affect four ships in the municipality of Marbella and 15 in the town of Fuengirola. Haro hopes that the State will initiate a dialogue with the fishermen’s group to provide more information about the project.

Marbella environmentalists have also raised concerns about the project in terms of the potential environmental impact. Specifically, the group highlighted the seagrass meadows of Calahonda, the Calaburras lighthouse and the Cobopino dunes, which are protected areas.

The green group has stressed that increasing the number of artificial structures in a transit area for different species between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic could negatively affect marine fauna. The proposed wind farms would be floating, but are anchored to the ground, which could make these migration routes difficult.

In addition, the location of the planned projects is along key migratory routes for birds from the European continent to Africa.

As for the monstrosity, environmentalists believe that the impact will be minimal, hoping that they will not be visible from the Marbella promenade.

Members of the group were also surprised that one of the proposed locations is between Marbella and Estepona, where the wind may not be strong enough to justify the planned projects and their maintenance, they suggested that the Strait of Gibraltar or the coast would be better. from Galicia. suitable for such wind farms.

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