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The countdown for the passage of the H2Med corridor It is underway. The one that will be the first clean hydrogen corridor of the European Union will be underway by 2030, but, as in any project, it is not exempt from controversy, since the section that goes from Zamora (Spain) to Celorico da Beira ( Portugal) has aroused a conflict.
The controversy. The Duero Hydrographic Confederation (CHD) He has authorized A INARI SOLAR SL The extraction of 117,000 cubic meters per year of groundwater of the Natural Reserve of Las Lagunas de Villafáfila. The initiative will supply a 40MW green hydrogen production plant.
Located in Moreruela Granja (Zamora), the Unión del Pueblo Leonese party (UPL) has warned about environmental impact of this project in a protected wetland. For this reason, divisions between neighbors, environmentalists and politicians have not been expected, between those who support it and who fear its consequences. In addition, the controversy has reached the Unesco Through the Ramsar agreement, an international treaty for the protection of wetlands.
The decarbonization process. Spain It has different green hydrogen pointsbeing Zamora one of the most strategic points for the installation of infrastructure for the production of this renewable.
However, producing green hydrogen requires large amounts of water, an increasingly scarce resource in Spain. In fact, 82.5% of the water It is used for agricultureand the country Face an accelerated desertification process. For this reason, the choice of the Villafáfila aquifer as a source of supply has generated outrage.
The process. The CHD granted The concession in January after a period of public information of a month that, according to the agency, was closed without allegations or reports against. The Confederation argues that the extracted water will be minimal compared to the total of the aquifer, representing only 0.1% of the available resources. In addition, the concession will be 25 years, allowing a maximum flow of 3.8 l/Sy will capture by means of a 70 -meter depth survey.
However, environmentalists in action, among other organizations, He has questioned These data because they point out the devastating impact on the wetland. In addition, he has denounced the lack of transparency in the process and has pointed out that authorization has been done on a place where restrictions for agricultural irrigation.
From the town. Social discomfort has grown rapidly and already circulates In Change.orgunder the motto: “#Salvemosvillafáfila! A natural treasure in danger of disappearance.” The initiative accumulates more than 7,000 signatures, denouncing that water extraction will endanger an ecosystem necessary for bird migration and the local economy.
From the political sphere, and as we have pointed out above, UPL has resorted to authorization before the Junta de Castilla y León and has taken the case to Ramsar agreementwith the aim of opening the door to a possible international review.
In favor. From the Popular Party, the president of the Diputación de Zamora, Javier Faúndez, He has shown Your support for green hydrogen, but Reject the choice of aquifer as a water source. In addition, he argues that there are more viable alternatives, such as the Esla River or a nearby reservoir.
While from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, on which the CHD depends, has defended the concession ensuring that the regulated procedure has been followed and that the impact will be insignificant. However, the authorization must still pass the filter of the Junta de Castilla y León, which has promised a rigorous evaluation of environmental effects.
Forecasts The conflict continues to climb and everything indicates that there will be citizen mobilizations in the coming weeks. The Junta de Castilla y León has the last word, so if the authorization continues, the debate could reach European instances. All this would test the compatibility between the EU climatic ambitions and the conservation of the environment.
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