Why the Cordovilla Project is such a success

21/04/2023: “The #Cordovilla photovoltaic project, developed by Esparity Solar, is considered a success story in the implementation of renewable energies in our country, with special respect for the environment and its biodiversity”.

The Rey Juan Carlos University in collaboration with the Ecological and Development Foundation (ECODES), a non-profit organisation that has been working for sustainable and environmentally friendly development since 1992, and with the support of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), have included the “Cordovilla” FPP (150MWp) as an example of success in the analysis they have carried out on key aspects for the protection of biodiversity and socioeconomic policies that guarantee harmony between green energy projects and the territory where they are to be implemented.
The aim of this study has been to identify real success stories of renewable energy installations that are widely accepted for their positive impact on the protection of biodiversity and for the direct and indirect socio-economic benefits at the local level derived from their construction and maintenance. Likewise, the analysis has determined the factors that have favoured the good acceptance of the installations in the territory where they are planned, and the extrapolation of these factors to the national and regional level.
The following link to the ECODES website also provides access to the study:

https://ecodes.org/hacemos/investigacion-ambiental-2022/conocimiento-y-defensa-de-la-biodiversidad-2022/proteccion-de-la-biodiversidad-y-la-socio-economia-en-los-proyectos-de-energias-renovables

About the Cordovilla project

Located all over the Iberian Peninsula, seven photovoltaic solar plants and six wind farms have been identified by this research as successful cases of green energy implementation. One of these photovoltaic plants is “Cordovilla”, located in the Navarrese municipality of Ibargoiti, with a peak power of 150 MW. Its 272,700 photovoltaic modules installed over 254 hectares will produce an average annual power of 275,583 MWh.

Once operational, the facility will contribute to the reduction of 181,521 tonnes of CO2 and will produce green energy that will supply more than 86,000 Spanish households. In addition, the construction of the photovoltaic park will generate close to 500 direct and indirect jobs locally.

Meetings have been held with different general directorates of the Comunidad Foral, mayors, landowners and associations in the area to achieve unanimity among all the parties involved in the project regarding the location of the plant on land in the municipality.

Esparity Solar, promoter of the “Cordovilla” PSF, is in communication with the Ilundain Haritz Berri Foundation and the Down Navarra association to reach collaboration agreements on training for unemployed people, people with difficulties in finding work or at risk of social exclusion, and job offers aimed at the local population.

In order to minimise the visual and environmental impact that the solar park may cause, numerous compensatory measures have been taken, such as the installation of a hunting fence to allow wildlife to pass through, actions to protect the bearded vulture, the installation of huts for watching and monitoring birds of great ecological interest in the Celigüeta pond and the incorporation of beekeeping in the polygonal area of the park. The combination of all these environmental measures makes “Cordovilla” a facility with an optimal landscape integration, which has meant that it has been classified as “low visual impact” according to the analysis carried out by the Rey Juan Carlos University and ECODES.

Due to the worrying climatological situation we are currently experiencing, more and more public and private associations, such as the Spanish Network for Sustainable Development (REDS-SDSN), the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) or SEO/BirdLife, as well as environmental and energy sector organisations, are carrying out reports and research on the optimisation of renewable energies and their responsible use