The Basque Government has extended the deadline by five days for the Eibar City Council to submit objections to the Basalgo Wind Farm project. The council had formally requested more time to rigorously analyze the submitted documentation and the new anticipated impacts on the municipality. The deadline, initially set to expire on October 9th, will now extend to October 14th.
The council received the Addendum to the Environmental Impact Study on August 28th, which initiated a 30-working-day period for objections. Eibar deemed an extension necessary due to the high technical complexity of the documents and the lack of complete information required for a thorough analysis. Specifically, the council had requested access to technical and sectoral reports from the Provincial Councils of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia, as well as from the Basque Water Agency (URA), along with the promoter's responses to previous municipal objections.
The updated documentation also includes modifications that increase the impact on the municipality of Eibar. Among these is the planned installation of an additional wind turbine, and the proposed new locations would also affect new landowners and interested parties. Given this situation, the City Council considers it crucial to have sufficient time to study every technical and territorial aspect of the project before finalizing its position and submitting its objections.
Jon Iraola, the Mayor of Eibar, stated that the extension granted by the Basque Government “allows us a few more days to thoroughly study all the documentation and prepare our objections with the rigor required for a project of this nature.” Iraola also recalled that “the position of the Eibar City Council remains contrary to the Basalgo Wind Farm project” and emphasized that this extension “does not change our stance, but rather allows us to defend it with more arguments and a more comprehensive analysis of the file.”
“We continue to oppose this project and will maintain that position. We understand that the impacts it poses for Eibar are significant, and furthermore, the new documentation incorporates modifications that directly affect our municipality. Therefore, we will study every detail of the file and present solid, well-founded objections in defense of Eibar's interests,” affirmed the mayor.
Iraola also highlighted the importance of the procedure unfolding “with maximum transparency and all available information.” In this regard, he reminded that the City Council had requested the full submission of technical and sectoral reports, as well as the promoter's responses to previous municipal objections. “We want all administrations and individuals to have the necessary information and be able to participate in the procedure with full guarantees,” he added.
Eva Juez, Councillor for the Environment, explained that “although the City Council presented all necessary objections in time and form during the first phase, it will do so again in this second phase because we believe this project has no place in our municipality.”
“We are aware that non-polluting energies are absolutely necessary, but it is a great contradiction that to achieve them we have to alter and pollute our mountains,” explained Juez, who also thanked the significant work of the Environmental technician and the Urban Planning technician.
The City Council had also requested the Basque Government to open a new public information process, so that citizens, especially those directly affected by the new locations, can be informed of the project modifications and exercise their rights within the administrative procedure. Likewise, the council has demanded the full provision of pending technical documentation, aiming for both the municipal institution and interested parties to have all necessary elements to evaluate the project.
The City Council reminds those wishing to submit individual objections that they must first prove their status as interested parties in the procedure, by providing documentation that justifies ownership of the plot affected by the Basalgo Wind Farm project. The council recommends completing the procedures sufficiently in advance and not waiting until the last day to submit documentation.
