The inhabitants of the area are against “the proposed 96-hectare solar farm by NEON”, which has negative consequences when it comes to “environmental integrity and community rights.” The people from Foral mention that besides the project being targeted at renewable energy, the “Association is deeply concerned about the project's ecological footprint and the lack of community engagement.” Thus, the association has already filed a “legal action with the Courts in Loulé, which was done on 10 January 2024.”

According to a press release sent to The Portugal News, the project is a solar farm, which will occupy “about 96 hectares of native vegetation”, including “over 102,399 solar panels, 8 transformers, a substation, and 5 km of overhead high-tension lines.” The association highlights the fact that the construction of the solar farm will be “alarmingly close to residential areas, as little as 20 metres in places, and is above critical groundwater resources”, in an area “of strategic importance for the infiltration of water to the aquifer system and is on land designated as REN (National Ecological Reserve).”

The project was already approved by the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR), however, the association still mentions some environmental concerns. Based on the communiqué sent to The Portugal News, “the project will completely transform the landscape and remove all vegetation.” The proximity of the solar farm to houses is something that the association describes as “unsettling, contradicting LNEG's (National Laboratory of Energy and Geology) recommendation for a 500m buffer zone.”

The group aims to legally present a challenge to those responsible of the solar farm, thus “the Larga Vista Residents Association is turning to crowdfunding. Drawing inspiration from the recent successful campaign against a similar project near Estoi, the community remains hopeful and determined.”

To help the association, people may contact them via email at associationdemoradores@gmail.com and support the fundraising on https://www.gofundme.com/f/stop-foral-solar-farm-save-our-water

The Portugal News tried to contact CCDR, but no answer was given at the time of going to press.

Author

Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos