Toledo, 3rd April 2023 - The renewable energy companies Aquila Clean Energy and Viridi have presented details of the new La Vaguada solar plant and its expected positive local impact at the Town Hall of Cedillo del Condado.
The presentation was attended by more than 50 residents from the region along with Luis Andrés Martín, Mayor of Cedillo del Condado, María Ganado, Sustainability Manager at Aquila Clean Energy, and Isaac Del Rey, Development Director at Viridi. During the meeting, the main characteristics of the future solar park were presented and next milestones identified. This marks the beginning of a citizen participation campaign that both companies are promoting, along with social, environmental and governance measures that will benefit the local population.
Local shared value creation plan
With the envisaged plan, the town council, Aquila Clean Energy and Viridi are committed to a renewable deployment with a positive social impact that respects the territory.
One of the objectives of the plan is to ensure that the jobs created by the plant stay in the municipality through the dissemination of hiring opportunities by the local administration and training organised by the companies involved.
The programme will focus on listening and dialogue. All parties are committed to providing information and transparency to the local population about the project's actions and ensuring that stakeholders are taken into account. The plan will also consider improvements to local infrastructure, the protection of the environment and the natural values of the area.
Luis Andrés Martín Carrasco, Mayor of Cedillo del Condado, comments: "This solar park, which has been initiated by the owners, has an important social dimension. In addition, it brings with it important investments that will be agreed in a participatory process with associations and social agents. We are finalising possible agreements to improve facilities and services for the community, such as green areas or improvements in educational facilities, and local training to relaunch employability in the field of renewable energies. Social and environmental responsibility is the axis on which we are working to make this project the best it can be".
María Ganado, Sustainability Manager at Aquila Clean Energy, says: "We believe the deployment of renewable energy must be performed hand in hand with local communities. We are committed to leaving a positive legacy in the areas where we create our projects, listening to the local population and implementing measures that improve people's lives".
Isaac Del Rey, Viridi's development director adds: "We are very happy to be working towards this programme with the aim, through various initiatives, to contribute to the economic and social development of the municipality and an improvement in the quality of life of its citizens. All this while preserving the natural values of the area and seeking maximum integration into the environment".
Environmental focus
Planned environmental action at the project will be aimed at preventing and compensating for possible temporary landscape disturbances and habitat protection.
To this end, naturalisation initiatives will be carried out to increase biodiversity, both in the environment and inside the park, such as the installation of a vegetation screen or the planting of interior vegetation.
Habitat protection and improvement will entail nests and perches for various birds, the installation of bird-saving elements and the defining of a habitat improvement plan for steppe birds.
Construction of the plant, which has obtained a positive environmental impact statement from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, is targeted to begin in the first half of 2024. With a production capacity of 109 MW, it could supply more than 53,000 homes with renewable energy and save more than 52,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. It would also involve an investment of around 100 million euros and generate more than 350 jobs during its construction.
