The Balearic Government has frozen the granting of new authorisations for photovoltaic parks on rustic/rural land. A moratorium on new projects will remain in place while a new renewable energy and energy storage plan is drafted. A government statement on Monday said this aims to guarantee a balanced development of renewable energies and their compatibility with land preservation, agricultural activity and the islands’ environmental and landscape values. This regulation will not be retroactive, so will not affect projects that already have permits. Installations for energy
self-consumption are also excluded. There is now a maximum period of two years for the establishment of an overall energy plan with clear criteria regarding the location and size of parks. The new framework will allow for the identification of the most suitable areas for the development of energy projects, establish criteria regarding their size and integration, and ensure better coordination between energy transition, the protection of rural land, and sustainable economic development. As mostly all projects of any scale look to use non-urban land,
there is in effect a moratorium on all development for the meantime. The plan, as noted, also refers to energy storage, projects for which on rustic land have caused a good deal of controversy. In Pollensa, for example, there are two.
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