The long pulse of the energy company Naturgy —old Natural Gas— to try to bring forward your complete project to store gas in the deposits located between the provinces of Huelva and Seville has entered a decisive phase. The Court Superior of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA) has backed the ban imposed by the regional Government —when I was in the hands of the socialists— against one of the four sub-projects in which was divided this work for its administrative processing. In particular, it is the work called the Marshes East, that extends in part within the protected area of Doñana; the condition of the emblematic natural park was the main argument used by the Board in 2016 to deny the company the environmental permit that was required to get this infrastructure that is shot from the controversy.

Despite the importance of this judgment, the TSJA will be the scene of a battle still more important in connection with this case: the resolution of the claim to property filed against the Government of andalusia, Naturgy by the stoppage of this store. The company claimed to the Board about 358 million euros and it is expected that this court issue its sentence.

gas Project in Doñana

Surveys existing

Surveys new

existing Pipelines

gas Pipelines new

Aznalcázar Authorized

Marshes West

Authorized and in operation

Saladillo Pending more permissions

Marshes East Rejected

HUELVA

SEVILLE

Aználcazar

Batteries

Fennel

Almonte

Villamanrique

the Countess

The Mist

10 km

Natural area

of the Park

National Park

of the Park

Source: own elaboration.

THE COUNTRY

gas Project in Doñana

Surveys existing

Surveys new

existing Pipelines

gas Pipelines new

Aznalcázar Authorized

Marsh West

Authorized and in operation

Saladillo Pending more permissions

Marshes East Rejected

HUELVA

SEVILLE

Aználcazar

Batteries

Fennel

Almonte

Villamanrique

the Countess

The Mist

10 km

Natural Space

of the Park

National Park

of the Park

Source: own elaboration.

THE COUNTRY

gas Project in Doñana

Surveys existing

HUELVA

SEVILLE

Surveys new

Aználcazar

Batteries

Fennel

existing Pipelines

Almonte

gas Pipelines new

Villamanrique

the Countess

Aznalcázar

Authorized

Natural Space

of the Park

Marsh West

Authorized and in operation

The Mist

Saladillo

Slope of more permissions

Park

National

of the Park

Marshes East

Rejected

10 km

Source: own elaboration.

THE COUNTRY

at the time, the room of the contentious-administrative of the TSJA ruled on the 23rd of December that the ban imposed in their day against the subproject Marshlands East was set to right. “This sentence gives clues as to what may happen with the economic claim” has assessed this Tuesday, the socialist José Fiscal, the exconsejero of Environment of Andalusia which passed the resolution which has now backed the TSJA.

MORE INFORMATION

Natural Gas claim 358 million for the veto to their store in Doñana, Andalusia slows the gas project in Doñana by doubts about its impact

The main argument employed by the regional government of Andalusia when it denied the authorization was a report prepared by the Natural Space of Doñana in 2015 in the who warned that the works provided were inconsistent with the management plan of this important park, among other awards, is classified as a world Heritage site by Unesco.

The company, for its part, argued that the planned project only consisted of a “mere improvement action pre-existing”, in reference to installations for the extraction of gas that exist in the area since the eighties of the last century. However, the high court rejected the arguments of Naturgy now and ensures that the work “would lead to a new infrastructure” incompatible with the management plan of the Park, thereby supporting the veto imposed. The company, which will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, has the view start now on the claim a heritage that should also solve the TSJA.

The extraction of gas from these deposits dates back to the eighties. But at the beginning of this century, the company planned to expand the survey and to use in a future reservoirs to store gas. The company troceó the project in four for its environmental processing and was receiving the approval of the central government and, in some cases, of the andalusian. But in 2013 —with José Antonio Griñán as president andalusian, and the current minister Luis Planas director of Environment— the Board decided to paralyze the processing of the permits. The Supreme Court forced in 2016 to the andalusian Government to lift that freeze. It was then when the Board gave the go-ahead to the sections that did not affect Doñana, but it was vetoed by the subproject Marshlands East by entering into the space protecteddo and be incompatible with the works with the conservation of the park. There is another one of the four sub-projects —so-called Saladillo— that also goes through the protected space and which has not received all the permissions from the Junta de Andalucía.

Triumph of conservation

The complete work included a network of 14 extraction wells and 70 km of pipes. Part of these facilities already in the area and of new construction would be about 20 kilometres of gas pipelines and five surveys. The cost that provided for the company to undertake four sub-projects is around 200 million euros. But of those four sub-projects in which we divided the performance, only one was launched and is fully operational. This is called a Marsh West that does not fall within the protected space and that, according to the company, and operates as a store, gas from 2012. For this installation, which is considered strategic in the energy planning of the country, the company receives an annual remuneration, of about six million euros, which is paid for through your bill to all consumers of this fuel.

The environmental organization WWF, which has always been opposed to this project, has applauded the judgment. In his opinion, it is “a triumph no doubt in the fight to preserve Doñana”. He recalled that the ruling is in addition to the statements made negative “international agencies such as Unesco or the European Parliament”, as well as “of the Congress of Deputies, Parliament of Andalusia, or the defenders of the Spanish and andalusian”.

Date Of Update: 14 January 2020, 18:00