Sacyr Concesiones continues to make its way towards developing “Vientos del Camino / Haizebide”, its wind project located north of Cuenca de Pamplona, and in which it hopes to invest 132 million euros.
The developer has submited the three project drafts for the three parks with their corresponding environmental impact reports to the Government of Navarra and expects them to be published on the Boletín Oficial de Navarra (BON) (Official Journal of Navarra) in the following days before being published on open public records.
Sacyr Concesiones has optimized the initial project, submitted in 2020, and has adapted it to the environmental demands required by the Government of Navarra.
After carrying out previous consultations with the Rural Development and Environment Department and holding several meetings with the municipalities within the area of influence of the wind parks, the company has modified its roadmap to integrate all improvement suggestions that came up during the project processing into “Vientos del Camino / Haizebide”
Environmental studies
The company has carried out complementary environmental studies targeted at minimizing the park’s aftereffects. Among other things, we have studied habitats of community interest; noise impact assessment; integrated landscape management; vegetation issues; archaeological issues, and an environmental monitoring plan that certifies the viability and sustainability of the project in the planned areas.
“At Sacyr, we are committed to the perfect environmental and social integration of this project with the environment in which we are going to install it. We believe that Vientos del Camino / Haizebide will contribute both to the neighboring municipalities’ economic development and the common goal of transitioning towards a society with low carbon emissions”, explains Álvaro Sagrario, director of Renewable Energies for Sacyr Concesiones.
A project committed to the region
To improve the facilities’ integration in the region, Sacyr Concesiones has resized the initial project. Presented projects have an installed power of 141.7 megawatts (MW) with 29 aerogenerators.
The three wind parks will be situated in the municipal term of Esteribar (Vientos del Camino / Haizebide 1); between Esteribar and Valle de Erro (Vientos del Camino / Haizebide 2); and between Esteribar, Anue and Olaibar (Vientos del Camino / Haizebide 3).
The first two will have ten 4.8-MW aerogenerators and will share a joined electricity evacuation line that will go by to Orkoien. The third park will have nine 4.7 MW aerogenerators and will also evacuate power to the Orkoien substation.
In estimation, together, the three parks will generate 450 GWh of power annually, which equals the yearly consumption of 140,000 homes. According to project estimates, the power produced will be evacuated through the electric net points of Red Eléctrica de España (REE) (Spanish Electric Network).
The company continues to analyze the region’s wind resources and may increase the park size afterward based on the studies underway.
A sustainable commitment to Navarra
This project contributes to the Navarra 2030 Horizon Energy Plan and the Climate Change KLINA Roadmap, which establishes a 45% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in relation to 1990 levels and sets to achieve that 50% of consumed energy comes from renewable sources. At present, according to the 2018 Energy Balance results, this data in Navarra stands at 23.2%.
The studied area of the three parks suggests the existence of an optimal wind resource within rational coordinates that respect the environs of Navarra.
Currently, measuring studies continue the course. In the environmental field, we have executed a regional and local study referred to the key environmental factors and the company is developing a complementary analysis aimed at minimizing environmental affections.
At the same time, Sacyr is defining a series of corrective and compensatory measures to minimize environmental and territorial negative externalities, such as using existing country roads, where to place aerogenerators in firebreak areas, how to prioritize forest repopulation externalities over autochthonous tree species or minimum distance with urban areas, among others.
Furthermore, Sacyr Concesiones is committed to developing a complementary set of actions for economic and social development, hand in hand with the localities where the parks will be set up in.
The goal of this new approach is to integrate the wind project into the environs to reinforce the production of clean energy from renewable sources in the region. Vientos del Camino / Haizebide has the chance of creating direct and indirect jobs and can serve as a stimulus for the local industrial renewable energy sector, vital for the Navarran economy.
2021-2025 Sacyr Sustainable Action Plan
Sacyr’s environmental commitment is part of the Group’s highest-level strategy and is explained in the 2021-2025 Sacyr Sustainable Action Plan, in which the company commits to fighting against climate change to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Sacyr will increase environmental protection investment by 50% and double innovation investment in the next five years. 70% of funds destined for innovation will have a sustainable effect.
One of the main challenges is to contribute effectively to the 2030 Agenda. To achieve that, we have several mechanisms that allow us to set the priority lines of action.
As fundamental pillars, our environmental, climate change, water, and biodiversity policies collect the different guidelines that the business lines must follow in their activities to satisfy the needs and expectations of all parts.