The planned biogas plant in El Cubo de la Tierra del Vino has become the new focus of a territorial and environmental controversy in the province of Zamora. The residents' association Pueblos Sanos has taken the case to the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the Civil Guard after observing machinery and workers on the plot where the installation is planned.
The most delicate point of the conflict is that, according to complaints from citizen groups, The project does not yet have the Integrated Environmental AuthorizationThis is an essential step to begin any project of this type. Meanwhile, sources close to the development company maintain that the work carried out is limited to preliminary site studies and deny that it marks the start of construction on the plant.
Complaint filed by Pueblos Sanos with Seprona
The asociación Healthy Villages, part of the Zamora en Pie federationA formal complaint has been filed with the Seprona (Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard) after learning that heavy machinery and workers were being used on the property where the biogas plant in El Cubo del Vino is planned. According to reports, several people noticed these activities and raised the alarm.
For the neighborhood association, the key element is that The administrative procedure has not yet concluded. Therefore, the project lacks the Integrated Environmental Authorization granted by the Regional Government of Castile and León. From their perspective, any action that could be interpreted as the start of construction would violate the regulations governing this type of industrial infrastructure.
Healthy Peoples emphasizes in its statements that The development company would be “taking a risk” by carrying out work on the site without the assurance that the project will receive final approval from the regional government. In their view, this attitude increases the sense of insecurity among residents, who have been raising objections to the plant's permit for months.
The complaint has been accompanied by references to other biogas facilities promoted by the same companies in the province, which, according to the association, paints a picture rapid expansion pattern of biomethane projects, with a growing degree of social protest.
The company's version: geotechnical studies, no start of construction
Faced with the association's suspicions, Sources familiar with the project defend a very different version.They maintain that the work observed on the El Cubo del Vino plot cannot be interpreted in any way as the beginning of the construction of the biomethane plant.
According to these sources, what has been carried out is geotechnical work to take soil samples and analyze its characteristics, a type of action that is routinely carried out in large industrial projects and which, they explain, lasted approximately one week.
Once those studies are completed, they add, The property would have been returned to its previous statewithout permanent structures, foundations, or land development work. They also assure that the company will not begin the construction phase in the strict sense until it has obtained the building permit and all other permits required by current regulations.
This interpretation, more aligned with mere technical preparations, clashes with the concerns of neighborhood groups, who believe that Any significant movement of machinery can symbolize a “point of no return” in the processing of the plant, even though the administration has not yet completed its evaluation.
Who is promoting the plant and what are the characteristics of the project?
The future installation of El Cubo del Vino is being promoted by the company Biorig (Biorig Energy Wine Cube)The same company that promotes other biogas projects in San Cebrián de Castro and Villardondiego, also in the province of Zamora. These initiatives are part of a broader commitment to biomethane as a renewable energy source linked to the use of agricultural and livestock waste.
The Wine Cube project includes the construction of a waste recovery plant primarily intended for biomethane productionAmong the planned substrates are pig slurry, cattle manure, corn straw and chicken manure, with a treatment capacity that, according to the processed documentation, could be around 198.000 tons per year of raw materials of local origin.
The regional government, through the Directorate General for Infrastructure and Environmental Sustainability, In December, it issued a resolution favorable to the environmental impact assessment and the technical project.However, this decision has been appealed and revocation request The association believes that not all the factors have been adequately assessed, especially those related to water and urban planning.
The plant's design is presented by its promoters as an opportunity to manage livestock waste more efficientlyThe project aims to reduce diffuse emissions and generate renewable gas that can be used in the grid or for industrial purposes. However, local residents' associations are concerned about the project's size and proximity to populated areas, fearing potential impacts on their quality of life and the environment.
Allegations, environmental concerns and impact on water
One of the most active fronts in the process has been that of the allegations presented by Pueblos Sanos and other platformsThese organizations have submitted numerous documents pointing out what they consider "serious irregularities" in the file and requesting a complete review of the environmental authorization.
Among the points that generate the most concern is the location of part of the plant on an intermittent watercourse, identified by the association as the “Hoyo ravine”. They maintain that this circumstance would increase the risk of effects on surface and groundwaterespecially during periods of heavy rainfall, and could conflict with water regulations.
Healthy Villages insists that, as of today, No convincing response has been offered to these objections. within the administrative file, neither by the regional government nor by the developer. They are therefore demanding a detailed review of the hydrological reports and greater transparency regarding how liquid effluents and digestates will be managed.
In addition to the water factor, the allegations point to other issues, such as the possible incompatibility with urban planning, proximity to homes and farms, or the odor and noise emissions which could arise from the plant's daily operations. The group argues that the sum of these elements should have led to a more restrictive assessment.
A conflict involving several towns in the area
Opposition to the project is not limited to the municipality of El Cubo del Vino. The Healthy Villages association brings together residents of El Cubo de Tierra del Vino, Maderal, Cuelgamures, Fuentespreadas, Villamor and ArgujilloThis reflects that concern about the plant transcends the administrative boundaries of the municipality where it would be located.
For this group, the biogas plant is perceived as a element that can alter the way of life in several localities of the surrounding area, both due to the traffic of waste trucks and the fear of persistent odors or potential public health problems. In their public statements, they insist that this is not an opposition to renewable energies themselves, but to projects that they consider poorly located or oversized for the region.
The association also points out that The CEO of Biorig participated in a talk in Zamora To explain the supposed advantages of biogas, an event initially scheduled to be attended by the president of the Provincial Council and the regional Minister of the Environment. For critical groups, this type of event reinforces the perception of a close alliance between institutions and promoters, while local concerns are relegated to the background.
Meanwhile, provincial platforms such as Stop Biogas Zamora or Pueblos Vivos have been warning about accelerated growth of biomethane projects in different municipalities and they demand a more coordinated planning at the regional level, taking into account the carrying capacity of rural areas and the opinion of the affected populations.
The precedent of Peleas de Abajo and the debate on sanctions
One of the most repeated arguments by Healthy Villages and other associations is the precedent of the Peleas de Abajo biogas plantAlso in the province of Zamora. In that case, the development company Norton Dos Ibérica, partly owned by San Gregorio, was reported by the Stop Biogas Zamora platform for carrying out earthworks and fencing without the corresponding permit.
That action resulted in a disciplinary proceedings that concluded with a financial penaltyThe fine, initially €35.000, was eventually reduced to €21.000 after the company admitted it had started construction without all the necessary permits. Citizen groups consider this amount insufficient as a deterrent against potential violations of the law.
Both Healthy Villages and Living Villages maintain that such decisions can create the impression among companies that Starting work without authorization has manageable consequences From a financial point of view, this, in his opinion, encourages "fait accompli" behavior while waiting for the administration to regulate the situation later.
In this context, the complaint about El Cubo del Vino is framed within a climate of distrust towards the administration's ability to control rigorously enforce compliance with environmental and urban planning regulations, especially when it comes to investments classified as strategic or linked to the energy transition.
Administrative procedures and next steps
While the public debate continues, the El Cubo del Vino biogas plant project is proceeding through the administrative process. The favorable environmental impact assessment already issued is a significant milestone, but The installation still needs to complete several key procedures, including the final granting of the Integrated Environmental Authorization and the building permit by the corresponding city council.
Sources within the company insist that No construction will commence without all necessary permits. They added that geotechnical studies are routine and necessary for properly sizing the infrastructure. Meanwhile, neighborhood associations are demanding that extra precautions be taken and that any activity that could be interpreted as premature construction be closely monitored.
The complaint filed with Seprona opens the door to The Civil Guard is investigating on the ground What exactly type of work has been carried out on the plot and whether it complies with the regulations prior to the formal commencement of construction? Depending on the findings, additional measures could be taken or the complaint could be dismissed if it is confirmed that everything has been done within the permitted limits.
In a scenario where the installation of biogas plants is multiplying in different regions of Spain, what happens in El Cubo de la Tierra del Vino will be closely watched by both other rural communities facing similar projects as well as by the administrations responsible for reconciling the expansion of renewable energies with the protection of the environment and respect for regulations.
The case of the El Cubo del Vino biogas plant illustrates how a renewable energy project can become a source of tension when The procedures, communication with neighbors, and the strictness in complying with permits are perceived as insufficient.Between complaints filed with Seprona (the environmental protection service of the Civil Guard), allegations of potential water-related problems, precedents of minor sanctions, and the company's defense that only preliminary technical studies have been conducted, the future of the facility will continue to be marked by a series of reports, appeals, and administrative decisions that will have to clarify whether the plant will eventually be built and under what conditions.
