Socialist mayors advocate for installing ZARs on rooftops to curb the occupation of rural land

The socialist mayors of Lanzarote have submitted allegations to the report on the documents for the implementation of renewable energies and Renewable Acceleration Zones (ZAR) with the objective of guaranteeing that the development of clean energies on the island prioritizes the use of roofs and already transformed spaces over the occupation of rustic land.

The socialists defend the need to move forward decisively in the energy transition, but warn that this process must be compatible with the protection of a limited, fragile territory subjected for decades to strong pressure. Therefore, they consider it essential that energy planning establish clear guarantees to prevent rustic land from ending up becoming the easiest alternative for the implementation of large facilities.

The allegations presented by the socialist town councils particularly emphasize the need to first take advantage of the enormous potential existing on the roofs of public and private buildings, industrial facilities, parking lots, and other spaces already occupied or transformed.

“Lanzarote must move towards a more sustainable energy model, but we cannot allow the energy transition to serve as an excuse to continue consuming territory when other alternatives exist,” state the socialist mayors.

In addition, the town councils request that Lanzarote be exempt from the application of Article 6 bis for renewable energy generation facilities. The socialists consider that the special territorial, landscape, and environmental characteristics of the island justify differentiated treatment that reinforces guarantees on any new project.

The socialist mayors thus maintain the common position they already defended before the initial proposal of the ZAR: municipalities must have a voice in any decision that directly affects the planning and future of their territory.

In this regard, they recall that "it was Oswaldo Betancort's own government that initially left the town councils out of a process that posed the possible impact on thousands of hectares in Lanzarote, forcing municipalities to demand information, coordination, and participation."

The socialists consider that this way of acting "highlighted the lack of coordination with the town councils on a matter of enormous importance for the future of the island and they defend that any definitive proposal must be built with the administrations that know the reality of each municipality firsthand".

“The implementation of renewables cannot be decided from an office and with its back to the municipalities. We are talking about the territory of Lanzarote and decisions that can condition its future for decades,” they warn.

The socialist mayors insist that "the discussion is not about whether or not to have renewable energies, but about how and where they are implemented". They defend a model that reduces Lanzarote's energy dependence without reproducing on the ground the same errors of occupation and lack of planning that the island has suffered in other areas.

Therefore, they demand that the definitive proposal of the ZAR incorporate sufficient guarantees to prioritize roofs and already transformed areas, preserve rustic land and ensure that any future decision has the effective participation of the town councils.

“The PSOE is committed to more renewable energies, but we also want to protect Lanzarote. Both things are perfectly compatible if there is planning, rigor and a willingness to put the general interest before any other interest,” conclude the socialist mayors.