The resolution from the Autonomous Secretariat of Environment and Territory partially upholds the appeal filed by the Alcoy council, annulling the authorization for the electrical line's path through Font Roja. The Ministry deems the projected route for the 'FV Benifallim I' solar plant's evacuation line to be contrary to the Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN) regulations and orders the developing company to modify it to prevent any impact on this protected area.
The mayor of Alcoy, Toni Francés, has positively assessed this decision, calling it "very important news for Alcoy," as it guarantees the protection of Font Roja against a route that the City Council considered incompatible with the park's regulations.
However, the municipal government expresses its perplexity regarding the resolution concerning the rest of the route, specifically in relation to the Historic Ensemble of Molinar. The City Council had extensively argued the project's impact on this Cultural Heritage Site (BIC), pointing out that the overhead line crossed directly above the emblematic Cúpula del Molinar.
Municipal technicians and the Archaeological Museum recalled the prohibition of installing overhead lines in areas declared BIC, established by Law 4/1998 on Valencian Cultural Heritage, which mandates underground channeling for electrical installations. Despite this, the Ministry's official response makes no mention of the Molinar BIC or address the arguments presented by the City Council regarding this law.
This lack of response creates a situation of defenselessness and could constitute what is legally known as an "omissive incongruity," according to the municipal government. Francés has expressed his incomprehension that the same resolution protecting Font Roja does not address the claims concerning Molinar, a Cultural Heritage Site with specific regulations.
Given this situation, the municipal government announces the filing of a contentious-administrative appeal to defend the protection of the historical and industrial heritage of Molinar. The objective is to review the overhead line's maintenance and demand that the electrical installation be buried in the protected area. "We will use all legal instruments at our disposal to defend Molinar, exactly as we have done with Font Roja," concluded the mayor.
