Navarra

join Navarra and Catalonia by highway

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The Ministry of Transport has tendered for 153.6 million euros the Jaca bypass, the last major political and technical obstacle to completing the highway connection between Pamplona and the corridor towards Catalonia. With this work unblocked after years of neighborhood opposition, Aragon is about to complete its alternative route to the Ebro through the Pyrenees. Why it is important. For decades, the Jaca variant has been the most complicated link in this infrastructure. Much of the municipality was opposed to the project due to the works, noise and associated inconvenience, not without reason. In this aspect, its tender represents having removed the legal and social obstacle that was holding back the project. From now on, it’s all about building. Connections. The variant consists of a new 8 kilometer stretch which will bypass the city of Jaca and connect the A-21 (Pyrenees highway) with the A-23 (Mudéjar highway). This section will divert the medium and long-distance traffic that currently crosses the N-330a and N-240 highways through the center of Jaca, where the speed is limited to 50 km/h and there are numerous intersections and pedestrian crossings. Image: Ministry of Transport In detail. The work contemplate two roads with two lanes separated by a median of variable width, three main interchanges (Jaca East, North and West), three viaducts, five overpasses and a 200-meter false tunnel in the hospital area. According to the Ministry of Transport, the project includes environmental integration measures such as the revegetation of slopes, correction of the barrier effect with special attention to the Camino de Santiago, hunting fencing to prevent access by fauna and protection against noise pollution. The fitting of the puzzle. With the Jaca variant tendered, Aragón has practically resolved its Pyrenean corridor. In the coming months, the 8.7 kilometers that link Sabiñánigo Este with Sabiñánigo Oeste will be inaugurated, and in 2026 they should open another 11 kilometers between Lanave and Sabiñánigo. Only a section of about 12 kilometers will remain pending between Puente de la Reina in Jaca and the A-21 in Navarra, for which the drafting of the project has already been awarded, although the works will not begin before 2030, according to they count from 20 Minutes. Between the lines. This axis formed by the A-21, A-23 and A-22 (Huesca-Lleida) will become a strategic alternative to the Ebro corridorwhich is usually saturated along the route between Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia. In this sense, the project will aim to improve the territorial structure of Aragon and reduce the pressure on other roads at critical times, such as ski season weekends or holiday long weekends, which are times when kilometer delays are usually recorded in the area. And now what. The execution time for the Jaca variant will depend on the award and the pace of work, but the fact that there is already a tender is a relief for all those who were looking for such a connection. After completing this section and the rest that remain pending in the Sabiñánigo area, the Aragonese Pyrenean project will practically materialize, waiting only for the link with Navarra. Cover image | Ministry of Transport In Xataka | This interactive map prepares you for your next flight: it shows if there will be turbulence and how intense it will be before takeoff

The Basque Country and Navarra exported 35,700 qualified professionals who would like to return. The problem is how and where

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Companies argue that one of their main problems when it comes to filling job vacancies is find qualified workers. However, the data suggests that these qualified profiles are forced to leave the country for find better opportunities jobs outside Spain. In fact, a recent study by Artizarra Foundation and Deusto Business School puts precise figures on this mismatch between the situation of qualified talent and its reality. Thousands of professionals trained in Spanish universities and with consolidated careers outside the country they would be willing to return, but the system does not offer them a complete attractive setting to return to. The talent that left. According to the reportmore than 42,000 young people between 25 and 40 years old, trained in universities and higher educational centers in the Basque Country and Navarra, currently work outside their territory of origin. These are not profiles in transition: they are highly qualified professionals, with training in engineering, STEM disciplinesbusiness management or research. However, the key data from this report is the return intention of these professionals. More than 85% of the participants in the study affirm that they would like to return if they found working and living conditions comparable to those they have achieved abroad. If this scenario materializes, the study estimates that up to 35,700 qualified professionals could be recovered. A career developed abroad. Six out of every ten professionals consulted have already accumulated more than six years working in other countries, which implies that they already have consolidated professional trajectories there, competitive salaries and international work experience that is difficult to replicate in the short term. From an economic point of view, its impact is relevant. We are not talking about talent in training, but about already qualified personnel, with high technical knowledge and productive capacity that have been trained in public schools and universities in Spain, but that Spanish companies have not known how to retain. This lack of job opportunities is the key to their departure. Ability to train talent, not to retain it. The contrast appears when crossing the data from the Deusto Business School report with the Cotec Foundation Talent Mapwhich analyzes 55 indicators on talent creation, attraction and retention. In its latest edition in 2023, and maintaining the same territorial framework as the Deusto study, the Basque Country reaches 66.4 points, well above the national average (49.1 points) and only behind Madrid (67.7 points). The conclusions drawn from these data are clear. The Basque Country stands out for the quality of your higher educationtechnical qualification and productive environment. The educational system works well in training talent. The problem comes when that training period ends and that talent compares what you find in your country with what is offered outside. They do not return for the same reason they left. The reasons for the flight of talent are recurring: better salaries, greater professional projection, access to cutting-edge projects and, in the case of scientific profiles, more opportunities to develop a stable research career. As and how they point According to the authors of the Deusto Business School report, these factors do not disappear when the return of that talent is considered. On the contrary. Accumulated experience raises expectations and makes those reasons more visible. The study by Artizarra and Deusto identifies barriers that go beyond employment and connect with structural problems common to an entire generation. Return yes, but where. The price and conditions of housing is one of the main reasons that slows the return of this talent. Returning implies assuming high prices, both for rent as for home purchaseand face it with salaries that do not always compensate for the difference compared to other European markets. For those who have already built a life outside, the opportunity cost is high. The second major barrier to return is the quality of employment. Not so much the absence of work for these qualified profiles, but the difficulty for local companies to match salaries, professional autonomy and recognition of talent. The comparison with international markets is inevitable. A paradox that remains open. The study data supports the spirit of this talent to return because it has not separated itself from its territory and maintains its roots. Most want to return. However, as the authors of the study point out, the biggest problem is an environment that allows doing so without giving up professional and life expectations. From an economic point of view, recovering part of those 35,700 profiles would be an investment that is difficult to match for a labor market that affirms that the shortage of skilled labor It is the stone that prevents them from moving forward. As Joe Biden once said: “Pay Them More“. In Xataka | Spain has such good nurses that it exports them to other countries. The problem is that public health needs 100,000 Image | Unsplash (Philipp hubert)

The Artikutza reservoir in Navarra has remained empty despite the rains. His destiny is another: the demolition

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The rains of recent months have caused many of the reservoirs of the Peninsula to go from practically dry due to drought to recover flows more typical of normality. That is not the case of the Artikutza reservoir, a Navarrese reservoir located near the border between the Foral Community and Gipuzkoa. The reason is that the Artikutza reservoir is a dead reservoir, and its prey, as we know it, has the days counted. Green light to demolition (partial). The San Sebastián City Council It is prepared For the partial demolition of the Artikutza dam as reported by local authorities. The infrastructure, in disuse for more than 20 years will be measured so that the so -called Enobieta regatta, whose flow retained the prey leads to the Añarbe River without having to cross the infrastructure pipes. The works are expected to begin in 2026. Wasn’t we in Navarra? According to He tells Iñigo GarcíaCouncilor for the Environment of the Donostiarra Consistory, to Efeverdethe history of the Artikutza reservoir begins in 1919, when the City Council bought some land next to the population of Artikutza, in the north of Navarra in order to build a reservoir that supplied water to the coastal municipality. The dam never was fully filled: in 1948, geological problems were detected that limited the filling capacity of the reservoir to approximately half of the planned volume. In spite of this, the reservoir was the main source of water supply of the Guipuzcoan capital between 1960 and 1976, when downstream entered into the service of the Añarbe reservoir, of a much higher volume to face the population growth of the city. A spoiled dam. In 1992 the reservoir stopped supplying water to the municipality of Donostia, but its final decline would begin ten years later, in 2002. This year, a failure in the electrical maneuver Reservoir coffin. Reservoir that would end emptying more than a decade laterbetween 2017 and 2019. A duct in the lower part of the dam allows the small regato to flow with hardly any restrictions, but the new project seeks to further facilitate the transit of the river and avoid risks derived from the accumulation of sediments. A partial demolition. We indicated at the beginning that the demolition of the dam would be partial and not total. The Donostiarra Consistory considered three demolition options: the total demolition, the partial and the possibility of maintaining the current channeling to maintain an open passage. Finally, the decision was favorable to the partial demolition, which implies the opening of the dam through a vertical cleft of seven meters wide below one of the old reliefs of the dam. This would allow recovering the natural flow of the river avoiding at the same time A cumbersome work in a protected natural environment and complex access. Protect fauna. Now the question fits, and all this for what? The possibility of leaving things as they were was on the table. However, it was considered that the opening of the dam was an ideal way of guaranteeing biological connectivity without the risk that the accumulation of sediments will hinder the passage of water and animals. There are several species whose conservation has been influenced when explaining the ecological impact of the project. The first is The Iberian Desman (Pyrenaicus Galemys)an animal that also receives the nickname of the “Spanish ornitorrinco”. This animal is one of the most threatened mammal species of our environment and has a small population in this hydrographic basin. The authorities also highlight the existence of “Bat populations of much biological interest” that inhabit the interior of the dam. In Xataka | “Thank you so much, reservoirs.net”: Spanish men are developing a peculiar obsession with swamps Image | Ksarasola / Eider Palmou

We have a problem with heat in buildings. A Navarra investigation knows how to cool them without air conditioning

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Every year we repeat the phrase that this has been the year less hot in the coming yearssince it is one of the consequences of climate change. One of the “traditional” ways that we have to refresh in our homes is with an air conditioning system, but poses an economic problem, because the invoices are not paid alone. However, a new Navarro study has managed to find a solution to refrigerate buildings with hardly any energy expenditure. Short. A research team, Formed by Amaia Zuazua Ros from the University of Navarra and Cristina Salazar Castro of the Luredera Technology Center, has developed a project to cool buildings without the need for air conditioning. Under the financing of the Government of Navarra and within the framework of the Navarro R&D System (SINAI)and with the coordination of Aditechthe proposal has sought to boost new passive cooling technologies through modules coated with nanomaterials, designed to eliminate heat from buildings without resorting to electrical systems. The challenge is not less. In the last 30 years, the energy consumption for the cooling of a home is It has tripled. These data, detailed in the International Energy Agency, have highlighted the impact on global electrical demand. For this reason, reducing this consumption without compromising thermal comfort is one of the great challenges of energy efficiency today. The operation. The system is much simpler than it seems. To explain it more easily, the researchers have identified a material that allows to cool the surface of the building, even when exposed to the sun. On the other hand, they have designed a structure to eliminate accumulated heat and thus improve air circulation on the facade by vertical dissipating modules. In addition, they have developed a system to easily adapt to different types of construction. The possibilities. Since the investigation they have detailed that the implementation of these modules in residential and commercial buildings would mean a reduction in energy consumption aimed at refreshing the environment. In addition, in cities with the large amount of solar panels that are being installed and The urban heat island effectthis new system will help mitigate high temperatures from these factors. However, the researchers, who are optimistic, have explained the challenges they have to overcome and how they should observe the long -term application. However, they have added that this technology represents a step forward in the fight against climate change and the design of more sustainable cities. Any other alternative? In the search for sustainable solutions for refrigeration without energy consumption, researchers from different parts of the world are betting on different approaches. An interesting example comes from Indiawhere a system based on recycled clay has been developed. Inspired by botijo ​​technology, this system uses clay cylinders to reduce the ambient temperature by up to 15ºC by evaporation of water, without the need for air conditioning. Image | Aditech and Unspash Xataka | It consumes five times less and does not need gas: it is the French invention that wants to replace the air conditioning

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