In the small municipality of Campos del ParaĆso in Cuenca province, with about 600 inhabitants spread across five villages āCarrascosa del Campo, Loranca del Campo, Olmedilla del Campo, ValparaĆso de Arriba and ValparaĆso de Abajoā, patience has run out. What for years was a more or less hidden complaint against the advance of certain industrial projects has transformed into a broad citizens' movement, determined to stand up to the biogas and biomethane plants planned for the area.
In recent months, various platforms, neighborhood associations, and environmental groups have been building a support network that has culminated in a massive demonstration in Carrascosa del CampoThere, residents of the region and other parts of Cuenca have taken to the streets to say loud and clear that they do not accept their territory becoming a destination for tons of livestock and organic waste from outside.
A rural region rises up against six biogas projects
The trigger for the protest is the Implementation of up to six biogas and biomethane plant projects within a small radius: three in the Campos del ParaĆso municipality itself, one in Huelves, and two in TarancĆ³n. Added to this is the fear of a āpull factorā of factory farms and new waste that will ultimately consolidate the area as a hub for the treatment of slurry and other waste. Similar projects Similar debates about territorial accumulation have arisen in other communities.
Of the planned facilities, the one that has generated the most concern is the large-scale plant promoted by ENCE, the pulp giant, in the vicinity of Carrascosa del Campo. The project, currently in an advanced stage of environmental assessment, proposes the management of some 140.000 tons of organic waste annuallyof which around 90.000 would be pig slurry. A quantity that, according to the residents, bears no relation to the capacity of the surrounding area: there is hardly any intensive livestock farming in the zone, and the main local agricultural byproduct is cereal straw. The controversy is reminiscent of the one experienced with the large-scale plant in other territorieswhich also provoked social rejection.
The concentration of plants in such a small territory āit is said to be as much as seven facilities within a radius of approximately 30 kilometersāincluding other nearby projectsā has been described by those affected as a āpoorly sizedā modelIn his view, the discourse of the circular economy is being used to legitimize infrastructures that, in practice, They will bring in far more waste from outside than is generated in the region.. This national controversy It highlights the debate on scales and implementation models.
experts like MĆ”ximo FlorĆn, professor of Environmental Technologies At the University of Castilla-La Mancha, they agree that this type of project, as it is currently planned, hardly fits into the strict concept of a circular economy: waste treatment should be carried out as close as possible to the place of generation, something that is not the case here.
Historical demonstration in Carrascosa del Campo
The social response has materialized in a mobilization that the organizers themselves describe as historic for the regionAccording to various sources, between 1,000 and 1.800 peopleāmainly from the Alcarria, Manchuela, and SerranĆa de Cuenca regionsāgathered in Carrascosa del Campo to demand a change of course. Similar mobilizations in other rural municipalities have had a significant impact on raising awareness of the problem, such as the from Villardondiego.
The march began in the Carrascosa siloa symbolic place due to its connection with the area's agricultural past, and walked through the town's streets to the Plaza de la Villa. Under the shared motto āNeither in your town nor in mineāThe attendees chanted slogans like āCuenca, wake up, the shit is at your doorstep,ā making it clear they refuse to accept the role of silent victims. Young people, the elderly, farmers, and families came with banners in a lively atmosphere. assertive but also full of emotionThe dynamic is reminiscent of cases where citizens gained spaces for consultation and debate, as in other local queries.
The call stemmed from the Campos del ParaĆso Rural Community Neighborhood Association and had the support of some forty organizations, including the Pueblos Vivos Cuenca platform and various environmental groups. For many, the most striking fact was not just the number of attendees, but the fact that a municipality with so few inhabitants has managed to organize a mobilization of such scope.
The protest culminated with the reading of a three-voice manifestoA child, a farmer, and a neighbor took to the stage to give voice to the collective discontent. āCampos del ParaĆso and its surrounding area are not empty spaces. People live here. Our future is not up for negotiation.ā, they proclaimed to the applause of a packed square.
Residents on alert due to odors, digestate, and heavy traffic
Beyond the general rejection of the plants, the residents have detailed a list of specific impacts they fear for their daily livesThe first issue is odors: the slurry and organic waste that would enter the plants, as well as the digestate resulting from the biomethanization process, could generate persistent discomfort that make the area unlivable, especially if they are handled or stored outdoors. Cases like La Atalaya have highlighted social tension when the environmental assessment does not address these nuisances collectively: the local controversy It reflects those concerns.
Another key point is the possible soil and aquifer contaminationThe digestate, promoted by companies as a ābiofertilizer,ā arouses a great deal of distrust among the local agricultural sector. Farmers such as AgustĆn ValenciaFarmers with cereal, sunflower, and olive groves categorically reject its expansion onto their land. They fear the presence of antibiotics, metals and other compounds which could end up seeping into the subsoil and drinking water. Previous incidents and complaints in other locations, such as from The Wine CubeThey fuel that distrust.
āIf more digestate is poured than our land can handle, We wouldn't even be able to turn on the tapāWarning, neighborhood spokesperson Carlos MuƱoz echoed a shared fear: that the waste could end up affecting the aquifers that supply the population and even key infrastructure such as the La Mancha Plain pipeline, fed by reservoirs in the Tagus basin.
Added to this is the concern about the increase in heavy trafficJust one of the planned large-scale plants could require the daily circulation of dozens of trucks to transport incoming waste and outgoing digestate. Locals estimate that this could be around 90 trucks every daycirculating on local roads and rural tracks ill-prepared for such traffic, with the consequent risk to road safety, infrastructure deterioration, and constant noise. Protests in other municipalities have highlighted residents' rejection of the increase in trucks, such as the from Colmenar Viejo.
Those attending the demonstration also linked these plants to the expansion of industrial livestock farmingIn their view, large-scale biogas plants function as just another link in the chain of factory farms, offering them a āgreenā outlet for their waste. They fear that, under the guise of energy recovery, this will encourage a indirect increase in the number of intensive farms in the region.
A biomethanization model called into question
The underlying debate surrounding the protest is not so much the existence of biogas technology as the territorial and business model that is being promotedThe residents' platform emphasizes that they are not opposed to renewable energy or the ecological transition; in fact, they insist that they would be delighted to welcome it. clean industries adapted to the rural scale and with genuine social license, which would help to curb depopulation.
What they do question is a system in which a small number of companies It concentrates the economic benefits while the local communities bear the brunt of the negative consequences: environmental impacts, loss of quality of life, territorial stigma, and depreciation of their land and homes. They speak openly of āsacrifice territoriesārural areas where annoying or polluting infrastructure is concentrated because "there are few people to protest".
The president of Living Villages Cuenca, Remedios BobilloHe emphasizes that these projects are clustered in rural areas. without sufficient public debate and without assessing the cumulative impact of all the facilities. The spokesperson for Ecologists in Action Manchuela, Toni JorgeIt follows the same line: you can't sell the ecological transition "if it's not done with criteria of real sustainability and territorial justiceMunicipalities like other municipalities They have opted for precautionary measures in response to the proliferation of projects.
The manifesto read in Carrascosa insists that the planned plants āThey are not an isolated incidentābut rather part of a broader model that, for years, has viewed villages as āterritories available to absorb impacts, while the benefits are concentrated far away.ā This diagnosis connects with other struggles in rural Spain against development projects. industrial livestock farming, wind farms, photovoltaic plants and large infrastructures who arrive without sufficient prior dialogue.
From the academic world, voices like that of MĆ”ximo FlorĆn also point to the lack of suitable agricultural land To properly manage the digestate that would be generated by the macro-plants designed for Campos del ParaĆso and its surroundings. If it is intended to be used as fertilizer, a much larger cultivated area would be needed, along with a detailed plan on how, when, and where to apply it to avoid excessive concentrations that would exacerbate the risk of contamination.
Local economy, employment and the "pull factor"
Another point that has fueled the discontent is the perception that biogas plants They will barely generate stable local employment.The residents are wary of the job promises that often accompany announcements of these projects. They believe that most of the jobs are technicians and specialistsoften covered by staff brought in from elsewhere, while less skilled tasks would be occasional or temporary.
In their manifesto, the platforms emphasize that the Direct benefits for the municipality will be scarce.especially when compared to the potential damage to other sectors. They cite, for example, the harm to the rural tourism, hunting, traditional agriculture or small business initiatives that rely on the image of a well-cared-for and peaceful natural environment.
Added to all this is the fear of a āpull factorāThe installation of these plants, they warn, could facilitate the arrival of waste from other provinces or regions and encourage the creation of new mega-farms that benefit from the existing infrastructure for managing their slurry. This scenario would turn villages into veritable wastelands. waste reception centers, profoundly altering its social and environmental balance.
The residents' representatives believe that, if these projects are ultimately authorized, the municipalities that host them should receive proportional financial compensationThey are talking about compensation for the loss of property value, for water risks, and for potential damage to quality agricultural brands that rely on the good environmental reputation of the territory.
In this context, many residents of the area express a feeling of accumulated injusticeThey point out that the AVE high-speed train, the highway, the Tajo-Segura water transfer, and large power evacuation lines from wind and photovoltaic farms already pass through their municipalities, without all of this having translated into proportional development or robust public services for the local population.
Position of the institutions and administrative battle
As the citizens' movement gains strength, the regional and local institutions They are operating in complex terrain. The Castile-La Mancha Regional Government is finalizing a specific decree to regulate the location of biogas and biomethane plantsthe associated truck traffic and the use of the digestate. The authority to authorize these facilities lies with the regional government, but Local councils play a key role with their urban compatibility and socio-economic impact reports.
If a local council excludes this type of plant from its municipal planning scheme or subsidiary regulationsThe compatibility report will be negative, and the regional government will likely have to deny the installation. Aware of this possibility, the Campos del ParaĆso City Council has unanimously approved a motion against the projects and studies formulas such as new waste disposal ordinances or the revision of its planning.
Its mayor, Francisco Javier del SazHe has been clear: the council cannot arbitrarily refuse to grant licenses that comply with the law, but he is willing to use all legal tools to make it difficult The implementation of the large-scale plants, even extending deadlines within the current regulations. The mayor assures he supports his constituents āone hundred percentā and criticizes the fact that the administrations constantly talk about fighting depopulation while, in practice, They facilitate projects that drive away those who still remain in the villages.
In parallel, the neighborhood platform has promoted a signature collection campaign which has already garnered over 4.000 online supporters, in addition to informational meetings and gatherings with political representatives. Its objective is twofold: firstly, to influence the processing of specific cases in Campos del ParaĆso, Huelves, and TarancĆ³n; secondly, open a broader debate in Castilla-La Mancha on the map of biogas projects that are clustering in the region, which some organizations are already calling a "speculative bubble".
The Board reminds everyone that any authorization must be duly justified and subject to rigorous environmental assessment, but social organizations are calling for an approach that goes beyond each individual case and takes into account the combined load of all planned plants in the same environment.
āDefending who we areā: rural identity and documentary in progress
One of the most repeated messages by neighborhood spokespeople is that this fight āItās not about being against everythingābut rather to protect a way of life and a specific territory. Carlos MuƱoz, president of the Campos del ParaĆso Rural Community Neighborhood Association, summarizes the feelings of many as follows:This is about defending who we are.Our towns cannot become places where others make decisions without consulting the people who live here.ā
This defense of rural identity transcends the technical or energy-related aspects. For many residents, what's at stake is the possibility that new generations will be able to to continue living in the village with dignitywithout having to accept environmental impacts in exchange for jobs that, in many cases, will never materialize. Young people like the student Sara Mitrica They say they do not want to be forced to choose between their health and their roots in the community.
To highlight this human dimension, the following was projected during the day of protest: teaser for the documentary āStrangers in ParadiseāThe audiovisual project, promoted by Loranca Producciones, aims to show how these projects affect daily life, social relationships, and the self-esteem of communities. Its executive producer, SaĆŗl SĆ”nchez RomĆ”nHe explains that it's not just about talking about kilowatts or tons of waste, but about counting āA story of people, territory, and the future".
The documentary aims to be shown at festivals and in different municipalities, so that the conflict in Campos del ParaĆso connects with similar situations in other parts of rural Spain. Its creators are confident that the audiovisual medium will allow them to reach... broader and more diverse audiencesincluding those who do not closely follow current political or environmental events but are interested in local stories.
The organizers of the demonstration insist on its character transversal of the movement which is being organized in Cuenca: young and old, farmers, families, cultural associations and environmental groups participate, united by the idea that the future of the villages cannot be decided behind closed doors in distant offices.
The protest in Campos del ParaĆso has turned this small region of Cuenca into a symbol of rural resistance Faced with a biogas plant implementation model perceived as disproportionate and lacking in community participation, the conflict has moved beyond a local issue. With six projects under consideration, a growing social movement, and local institutions prepared to fully utilize their legal resources, the conflict has become a central debate on how the costs and benefits of the energy transition are distributed in Spain. What happens in Carrascosa del Campo, Huelves, or TarancĆ³n will likely serve as a benchmark for other European regions facing the same dilemma: investing in renewable energy without turning their towns into mere sacrifice zones.
