The infrastructure would have led to the destruction of over 30 hectares of poplar groves due to the power line easement zone

“The project threatened all the work of recent years to recover this crop,” said Victoria Carreras, president of the Marjal Association

Granada, May 23, 2025

The Marjal Chopo Producers Association, which brings together one hundred foresters from the province of Granada with more than 1,400 hectares of land, has welcomed the decision of the company promoting a photovoltaic plant in the Vega of Granada to withdraw from its construction and operation.

“At Marjal, we are very pleased with the withdrawal of the megasolar plant project, a decision that comes as a relief to the poplar producers of the Vega of Granada,” said the association’s president, Victoria Carreras.

“This infrastructure directly threatened this crop and all the work that has been carried out in recent years to restore it. The professionalization taking place in the sector, along with the growing use of engineered wood, is further strengthened by this news,” Carreras added, referring to the recent boom in poplar cultivation driven by the European LIFE Wood for Future project, which led to the creation of Marjal and the birth of the first Andalusian industry for engineered wood for sustainable construction.

For the affected producers, “thanks to collective mobilization, we are protecting the landscape, the local economy, and the future of a crop that is an essential part of the living identity of the Vega.”

The project entailed the construction of a high-voltage power line over more than 14 kilometers through the municipalities of Santa Fe, Pinos Puente, and Atarfe. It included a subterranean section and another 4-kilometer section supported by 25-meter-high pylons, with an 80-meter-wide easement corridor. This overhead line, which had already been declared a public utility, would have required the expropriation of approximately 33 hectares of poplar groves.

Beyond the direct harm to producers, they claim the project endangered the green belt of the Metropolitan Area by eliminating the carbon sink provided by the poplar groves, and threatened the landscape, cultural heritage, tourism value, and historical identity of the Vega. Moreover, the poplar groves have a positive impact on public health, as they help improve air and aquifer water quality and prevent flooding while eliminating pollutants from soils where fruits and vegetables are grown.

The landowners, who opposed the project through formal objections, emphasized that the Vega landscape is unique, irreplaceable, and nearly impossible to restore once damaged or destroyed.

During the administrative processing of the megasolar plant project, Granada’s foresters reminded authorities that large-scale photovoltaic energy parks benefit energy companies, while the crops in the Vega have a deep social relevance tied to the territory: “They create local green jobs in rural areas, supply local fruits, vegetables, and timber, restore riverbank ecosystems using native plant species, and rely on services, materials, and machinery that are part of the circular economy.”