The Investigating Court number 1 of Lleida has opened proceedings to determine if three high-ranking officials of the Generalitat and the companies Ignis and Solaria committed alleged crimes of malfeasance and fraud in the processing of authorizations for eight adjoining photovoltaic parks in Alcarràs. The magistrate is investigating whether the project would have been unduly fragmented during its administrative processing.
The complainants are several farmers from Alcarràs, who maintain that it is "a fraud of law". They maintain that the objective was to obtain partial and reduced authorizations for the parks with the acquiescence of the Generalitat, and they also affirm that this procedure has allowed companies to expropriate land.
Eight parks in the same area
The case focuses on eight solar facilities promoted in adjoining farms of the municipality of Alcarràs. These are Volans Solar 1 and 2, Juno Solar 1 and 2, Rascon Solar, Jilguero Solar, Rabilargo Solar and Rufete Solar.
Each of these parks has between 60 and 113 hectares and a power slightly less than 50 MW. Together, they occupy 656 hectares and total almost 400 MW, with energy evacuation through the same line. The issue under examination is whether they should have been evaluated as a unit and not as separate files.
If the project had been considered jointly, the environmental assessment would have corresponded to the Ministry for Ecological Transition. By being processed in a fragmented manner, that competence falls to the Generalitat. In this context, it is recorded that the ministry has so far rejected, due to their environmental consequences, all the large projects it has analyzed in Lleida.
High officials denounced and documentation required
Among those reported are Jordi Sargatal, secretary of Ecological Transition, Assumpta Farran, director general of Energy, and Josse Terés, delegate of the Ministry of Territory in Lleida. For the moment, the judge has not agreed to summon them as investigated.
The head of the court has requested from the Generalitat a copy of the administrative files and has ordered the Mossos d'Esquadra to investigate the facts and analyze the documentation. The procedure is in an initial phase, focused on gathering information and clarifying how the authorizations were processed.
Another case opened for police action
In parallel, the Supreme Court must decide which judicial body investigates the case for fundamental rights regarding the actions of the Mossos d'Esquadra in August of last year. That procedure must clarify if the force overstepped its bounds by clearing access to some properties to facilitate the entry of personnel from renewable energy companies despite the opposition of the owners and without a judicial order.
That case was opened by Administrative Litigation Court number 13 of Barcelona. The dispute over jurisdiction pits that court against the Administrative Chamber of the High Court, while the judicial front continues to grow around the implementation of these photovoltaic projects in Alcarràs.