Idom engineering has delivered a report to Ence which shows that it is not possible to move the company’s biofactory in Pontevedra to any other location.
Specifically, the aforementioned document alludes to the “unfeasibility” of implementing an installation of the characteristics of Ence-Pontevedra in any of the analyzed locations (the only ones in the autonomous community that could house an industrial complex).
After the holding of the dialogue table convened in April by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Ence undertook to commission a thorough update of the study it had in this regard, out of social responsibility and as part of its commitment to the people. A meeting that brought together public administrations, representatives of the workers and the company.
This independent study starts from the 441 areas contemplated in the Sectorial Plan of Business Areas of Galicia, since these are the only areas in Galicia where any industry of these dimensions can be implemented, according to the territorial order of Galicia and responding to the Guidelines Territory Planning.
From here, all those locations that, obviously, do not meet the necessary requirements to be able to house a facility of these characteristics (surface area, nearby water catchment, territorial model defined by the Territorial Planning Guidelines, etc.) are discarded. .). Based on them, it identifies seven locations, and then explains the reasons why it would not be feasible to locate a pulp production plant like Ence’s in Lourizán either:
- Polígono Industrial Lago de Meirama: in the case of this location, the study reveals that, among other factors, the availability of water or the discharge of the effluent cannot be guaranteed. Another of the reasons that lead to reject this location is the aeronautical condition. Specifically, it refers to the aircraft approach height limitation easement, due to its proximity to the Alvedro airport (A Coruña).
- The case of the Encrobas 1 Business Park is similar. Among the main reasons that eliminate it as a possible location is the height limitation due to its proximity to the airport. In this location neither the availability of water nor the discharge of the effluent can be assured.
- Polígono Industrial Vilar do Colo (Fene – Cabanas): the report emphasizes that in this location the availability of water could not be guaranteed either. The high landscape impact, derived from an unfavorable topography, is another of the drawbacks that rules out this polygon as a candidate to house a plant like Ence’s.
- Polígono industrial A Boeira: it is emphasized again that it would not be possible to guarantee the availability of water, due to its catchment in a riverbed with hydroelectric use. Aspects such as the high landscape impact, due to an unfavorable topography, are other factors that lead Idom to reject this polygon as a viable option.
- Polígono Industrial Penapurreira (As Pontes de García Rodríguez): the construction of the effluent canalization would affect protected natural areas. In addition, and among other reasons, the uncertainty of water availability for other uses stands out.
- Braña do Can (Teo – Santiago de Compostela): in this location, the very high energy consumption of pumping (and its corresponding environmental impact) is striking, beyond other factors, such as the landscape impact (visible, even from the Cidade da Cultura and from the Cathedral of Santiago).
- Finally, in the Chan de Amoedo industrial estate (Pazos de Borbén), the catchment and discharge would be practically unviable. In addition, an effluent pipeline would have to be installed through areas of high population density. All these factors make, once again, implantation in this business area unfeasible.
In short, this independent and updated report concludes that “none of the business areas included in the Sectorial Plan for the Management of Business Areas of the Autonomous Community of Galicia (PSOAEG) can be considered viable to host a pulp plant” such as Ence in Pontevedra.
A conclusion from which it follows that, therefore, the transfer to which it is referred from various areas would not be possible.
