The tension surrounding the project biogas plant in Castellanos de Villiquera It continues to grow. Residents of the Salamanca municipality have been organizing for months to try to stop the business initiative promoted by Biorig Energy, which plans to build a biogas production facility within the municipality.
Under the umbrella of the neighborhood platform Stop Biogas Castellanos de VilliqueraThe citizens' movement has entered a new phase of mobilization. In addition to the submission of hundreds of objections and street protests, a petition has now been launched to force a specific debate in the City Council about the project and its consequences.
A popular initiative to force a special plenary session
The platform has organized a Information table for collecting signatures with the aim of activating a popular initiative provided for in local government regulations. This citizen participation mechanism would allow the City Council to be compelled to convene a special plenary session dedicated exclusively to the biogas plant.
For this project to move forward, the group needs the support of at least 20% of the census of Castellanos de VilliqueraIf that threshold is reached, the City Council would be obliged to address the matter in a plenary session, publicly debating the project, the status of the licenses and the possible effects on the environment and the daily lives of the population.
In that plenary session, the residents want the matter to be analyzed in detail. the potential risks to health, territory and quality of life, as well as the fit of the project with the current urban planning and environmental regulations at the municipal, provincial and regional levels.
In addition to opening up this space for debate, the platform intends for the plenary agreement to include a clear demand: to stop any construction work, building permit or activity authorization linked to the biogas plant until all the unknowns surrounding the project are cleared up.
Months of protests, talks and neighborhood complaints
The collection of signatures is not an isolated gesture, but the latest step in a series of sustained mobilizations for months by the residents of Castellanos de Villiquera and the surrounding area. The start of the year was marked by a demonstration held on January 24th in the town to show the residents' rejection of the biogas plant.
Alongside street protests, the platform has opted for information campaigns aimed at the populationIn February, two open talks were held: one in the municipality itself and another in Salamanca city, at the Julián Sánchez "El Charro" municipal center, with the aim of explaining the project, its possible impacts and the legal avenues available to the public.
During the public information period for the file of Integrated Environmental Authorization and the Environment Effect investigationDuring the proceedings before the Regional Government of Castile and León, the group submitted more than 1.500 objections. These citizen contributions question technical, environmental, and urban planning aspects of the plant promoted by Biorig Energy Castellanos de Villiquera-Salamanca SLU.
According to the Stop Biogas platform, The regional government has not yet responded. to the content of these allegations, even though the public comment period ended months ago. This lack of official response is fueling discontent among residents, who feel their concerns are being ignored.
Meanwhile, the residents' association maintains that it has submitted several requests to the City Council for documentation related to the project, including the urban planning compatibility report and access to the building permit file. To date, they claim to have received neither a formal response nor a meeting invitation from the City Council.
Accusations of "obscurantism" and institutional "disregard"
The lack of information and dialogue with the authorities has led the platform to speak openly about "obscurantism" and "disregard"The group's spokespeople maintain that the City Council is maintaining a very opaque attitude towards the public while, at the same time, maintaining a fluid dialogue with the development company.
Among the complaints expressed by the residents, the following stands out: municipal representatives have traveled to Germany to visit a biogas plant at the invitation of Biorig Energy, while refusing to meet with the platform to explain the official position of the City Council regarding the project in Castellanos de Villiquera.
For the citizens' movement, this situation creates the feeling that progress is being made on the project. without a real public debate And without the population having full access to key documentation. The possibility that decisions will be made without public input fuels fears of losing control over the municipality's future.
The platform insists that its main demand is to be able to participate in the decisions These impacts will affect the local development model, land use, and coexistence with this type of infrastructure. They believe that, without detailed information or formal spaces for dialogue, the population is left at a clear disadvantage compared to the company and the authorities.
Furthermore, the group links this scenario to a broader problem of trust in institutionsIn their view, the lack of response to the allegations and registered requests, coupled with the refusal to hold meetings, reinforces the perception that private interests are prioritized over the concerns of the residents.
Environmental concerns and fears of a cumulative effect from factory farms
Beyond the procedures and the lack of information, one of the main reasons for citizen rejection has to do with the potential environmental and health impacts that the biogas plant in Castellanos de Villiquera could bring. Among the recurring concerns are odors, heavy traffic associated with the transport of waste and digestate, the risk of contamination, and the alteration of the rural landscape.
The situation is complicated, according to the platform, by the planning of new mega-farms in the neighboring municipality of ForfoledaThese intensive livestock facilities could use the biogas plant as a destination for slurry and other waste, which, in the opinion of the residents, would increase the environmental pressure on the entire area.
The main fear is that the combination of the biogas plant and the mega-farms will generate a cumulative effect that is difficult to reverseThis has consequences for air quality, waste management, water, and the well-being of those who live in the surrounding area. In a small municipality, they point out, these kinds of changes are felt very directly.
The members of Stop Biogas emphasize that they are not against renewable energies in general, but they do question the specific implementation model that is proposed in their territory. They demand that alternatives be studied, that the effects be rigorously evaluated, and that the opinion of the inhabitants be taken into account before taking definitive steps.
In this context, the group focuses on the need to ensure strict compliance with environmental regulations and urban planning regulations, both local, provincial, and regional. They understand that respecting this legal framework is the main guarantee that the impact on the population will not be underestimated.
Defense of the right to information and citizen participation
One of the most repeated messages on the platform is that, without access to information And without spaces for debate, residents are left defenseless. They believe that, faced with projects of this magnitude, the authorities have an obligation to clearly explain the current status of the process, what reports exist, and what real decision-making power the municipality has.
The grassroots initiative they are promoting is understood as a tool of democratic pressure to open the debate that, in their view, is being denied to them. Forcing a special plenary session would not only serve to put data and arguments on the table, but also allow the different municipal groups to publicly define their position.
The platform points out that municipal ordinances and local government laws recognize specific participation mechanisms which cannot remain a dead letter. Hence their commitment to using all available legal means so that the population can effectively participate in the decisions.
Among the main demands is the requirement that halt all actions related to the plant until the impact on public health, the environment, and the well-being of the community is transparently assessed. This precautionary approach is, for the residents, an essential condition before proceeding with a project they consider high-risk for their environment.
The neighborhood movement makes it clear that it will continue to use legal, informational and mobilization channels Until a genuine channel for dialogue is opened and they are provided with the information they have been requesting, the goal is for the future configuration of the municipality to be decided not behind closed doors, but with the citizens as active participants in the process.
Today, the battle surrounding the biogas plant in Castellanos de Villiquera has become a local symbol of the dispute between large energy projects and the participation of the peopleThe coming weeks will be key to seeing if the petition gathers enough support and if, finally, the city council becomes the space for public discussion that residents have been demanding for so long.