EDP Renováveis said today that the compensation plan for the felling of cork oaks at the Morgavel wind farm in Sines provides for the planting of around 42,000 trees and shrubs, of which 30,000 cork oaks.
“The Morgavel wind farm cork oak felling compensation plan provides for the planting of about 42,000 trees and shrubs, of which 30,000 will be cork oaks, in an area approved by the ICNF (Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests), equivalent to 50 hectares and far superior to that which will be intervened for the construction of the wind farm”, said an official source from EDP Renováveis, in a statement.
EDP also guaranteed that it will ensure the maintenance of that forest area throughout the duration of the project “and, already in an immediate phase, the improvement of roads and accesses in more than seven kilometers, with a direct impact on firefighting support”.
“Of the cork oaks identified for elimination, 75% are in the young stage, and there is still a significant amount of cork oaks that are in a poor state of conservation,” the electric pointed out.
The cork oak is a protected tree species and emblematic of the country’s landscapes.
The Minister of the Environment declared the “indispensable public utility” of the Morgavel Wind Farm, which EDP Renováveis wants to build in Sines, authorizing the felling of 1,821 cork oaks, according to an order published in Diário da República on Tuesday.
The order by Duarte Cordeiro declares “the indispensable public utility of the Morgavel Wind Farm (PEM) and the 400 kV power line interconnecting to the Sines substation”, considering that the necessary conditions are met, such as the environmental compliance of the project, the authorizations for the felling / cutting of cork oaks by the owners and that the Moncorvo Wind Farm, EDP Renováveis, presented a project of compensatory measures for afforestation of mixed stands of cork oaks and strawberry trees in an area of 50.07 hectares.
The company had requested authorization to proceed with the felling of 1,821 cork oaks in an area of 32.22 hectares of stand, located in the parishes of Sines and Porto Covo, União de Freguesias de Santiago do Cacém, Santa Cruz and São Bartolomeu da Serra, in the municipalities of Sines and Santiago do Cacém.
With the published order, the Ministry of the Environment thus authorizes the felling of those trees, conditioning it “to the approval and implementation of the compensation project and respective management plan”, as well as to “compliance with any constraints presented by the licensing entity of this work and all other applicable requirements”.
The Government’s decision also weighed the “relevant public, economic and social interest of the project, in addition to the obligations inherent in the contract signed between the applicant and the Portuguese Government, which is contractually obliged to promote the implementation of a Wind Farm that contributes to the Portuguese State’s compliance with the Kyoto objectives and the National Energy Plan”.
The Environmental Impact Assessment was also taken into account, which decided in accordance with the location of the project, after considering the alternatives, as well as the declaration of the Municipality of Sines expressing the municipality’s interest in the installation of that wind power plant.
In February, the Competition Authority (AdC) authorized EDP Renováveis to buy Parque Eólico de Moncorvo, which is currently engaged in designing and implementing the Morgavel wind farm in the municipality of Sines.
Morgavel holds a grid interconnection right for guaranteed remuneration wind generation capacity to be installed of 50 megawatts (MW), as well as a right to install an additional 10 MW of over-equipment, under the terms of a contract signed with the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology in May 2009.
The process of acquisition of the Morgavel wind farm by EDP Renováveis is currently being finalized, according to the company.
