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Montblanc demands PLATER halt until local participation is guaranteed

The City Council approves a motion to review the renewable energy plan and prevent rural municipalities from becoming 'sacrifice zones'.

Generic image of a Catalan town hall in the afternoon light.
IA

Generic image of a Catalan town hall in the afternoon light.

The Montblanc City Council has approved a motion to halt the Territorial Plan for the Implementation of Renewable Energies in Catalonia (PLATER), demanding a review of the plan and effective participation from municipalities.

The municipal plenary of Montblanc has approved a motion rejecting the current approach of the PLATER, driven by all political groups. The initiative denounces the plan's development without municipal participation and insufficient consideration of the territorial impact of renewable energy deployment.
Municipalities do not question the energy transition but demand a consensual, balanced, and fair process, not one 'against the territory'. A key demand is to halt the plan's processing until a dialogue process is opened with city councils, county councils, citizens, and social and economic agents.
The motion also calls for reconsidering the PLATER's model, which they deem centralized and focused on large projects. Municipalities advocate for distributed, local generation with direct territorial return, prioritizing already transformed areas over agricultural or forest land.
Objective and transparent criteria are demanded for energy capacity allocation, as assigned megawatts lack sufficient justification and fail to consider key factors like population size or economic activity. The risk of rural municipalities becoming 'energy sacrifice zones' is highlighted.
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"This is a matter for the whole country. Around 200 municipalities have already joined. As a county, the Consell Comarcal is working on objections that will have a common part with the municipalities, and then there will also be specific objections as the Montblanc City Council. Today we take this step, joining a large group of municipalities, and we will continue working on the objections."

Marc Vinya · Junts per Montblanc
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"I am sure that southern Catalonia is the most affected territory in all these matters. La Conca de Barberà has already contributed a lot and we are more than supportive of the energy plan. Now we need to look elsewhere. Especially in southern Catalonia and Girona, windmills can be installed, but these elements end up being part of our landscape. We must fight to preserve the territory as much as possible and, as a county, ensure it remains that way."

Oriol Pallissó · ERC
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"It seems we have the bad luck, or good luck, of living in a privileged territory. But, without considering the people who live here, a plan has been made from very high up that has not taken into account the life that takes place here. We have seen how our landscape has changed. Renewable energies will be necessary, but all voices and networks of the collectives living in the territory must be considered. We must talk to the Generalitat, because we do not want the landscape to change."

Sergi Olivan · Despertem Poble
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"Of the entire manifesto, I would highlight two important things. One is the defense that energy production should not fall solely on rural areas, but that participation can also occur in urban zones. This way, we would avoid territories like La Conca de Barberà being sacrificed for this energy production. The manifesto very well defends that the opinion of the entire territory should be taken into account when implementing these projects. The process must be controlled and not as initially conceived, which would be an outrage."

Juanma Cabello · PSC
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"I was stunned when I saw the PLATER plans for the Montblanc area. It turns out they are siting areas in Rojals and Pinetell where wind energy and solar panels could be installed. I don't know what country we live in. The Natural Park of the Muntanyes de Prades was supposed to be free of solar and wind energy, and now we find this PLATER document. This is very serious. Some organizations say we must preserve the territory and others say the exact opposite. I don't know how effective this government is. We will have time for a thorough debate."

Pep Andreu · Montblanc Progressa
The motion also points out specific deficiencies, such as the lack of definition for evacuation lines, storage systems, and the cumulative impact of other existing or planned energy infrastructures. It calls for municipalities and counties to have an effective role in defining the energy model and for the Public Energy Company to be integrated into planning.
Finally, it is agreed to forward the motion to the Government, the Department of Territory, the Parliament, provincial councils, and county councils, with the aim that the Generalitat rectifies the PLATER's approach and opens working spaces with local communities.

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