Favorable environmental statement for 918.50 hectares of pistachios in Villarrobledo

The Provincial Delegation for Sustainable Development of Albacete has issued a favorable environmental impact statement for the project to transform sprinkler irrigation to drip irrigation and the planting of pistachios on the La Guija estate, in the municipality of Villarrobledo (Albacete), promoted by Agraria Guija SL. The resolution, dated October 29, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha number 214, of November 9, 2026, section III, with the official reference [2026/7926].

The file, processed under number S478/2025/AB/00054, falls under Annex I of Law 2/2020, of February 7, on Environmental Assessment of Castilla-La Mancha, in the agriculture group and the section for water resource management projects for agriculture, including irrigation transformation. The Environmental Quality Service of the Provincial Delegation acts as the substantive body.

Evaluated area and reduction due to water rights

The promoter planned 948.72 hectares divided into six plots within polygons 64, 66, 74, and 84 of the Villarrobledo cadastre, in the areas of La Guija, Pintados de Arriba, and Los Montoya, approximately 12 kilometers east of the urban center with access from the AB-706 road.

However, the Guadiana Hydrographic Confederation reported unfavorably on the irrigation of 30.22 hectares without recognized rights, therefore the environmental assessment is limited to 918.50 hectares:

• Eleven private groundwater abstractions, files 4665/1988 to 4675/1988, registered in the Private Water Catalog of the Guadiana basin.
• Total maximum annual volume of 6,879,213 m³, with an average allocation of 7,489.62 m³/ha over 918.50 hectares.
• Two existing regulation ponds, with no provision for new abstractions or new ponds.
• Resource originating from the groundwater body 041.005 “Rus-Valdelobos”, declared at risk of not achieving good quantitative and chemical status.

Super-intensive drip irrigation and five alternatives

The environmental impact study assessed five alternatives and opted for localized drip irrigation, the only one to obtain 14 points out of 15. The planned system includes:

• Super-intensive planting frame of 6.00 x 4.00 meters, with 416 trees per hectare and manual planting.
• Drippers in two laterals per tree line, with a flow rate of 2.3 l/h and a separation of 0.75 meters.
• Head unit with sand, mesh, and disc filtration, Venturi fertigation injectors, and a pipe network up to 400 mm in diameter.
• Preliminary work including deep ripping, leveling, organic amendments, and subsoiling up to 1.45 meters.

Consultations, suspension, and conditions

The public information announcement was published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha number 238, dated December 10, 2025, without any allegations being filed. The processing was suspended by the transitional provision of Law 5/2026, of July 16, until the City Council of Villarrobledo provided its consent via a Plenary agreement on September 28, 2026.

Among the conditions are avoiding earthworks between March and July, as it is a breeding area for steppe birds and a foraging area for the Iberian imperial eagle, respecting all holm oak trees and boundaries, installing volume meters at each extraction point according to Order TED/1191/2024, and submitting a fertilization plan in accordance with Royal Decree 1051/2022. The declaration expires if execution does not begin within four years and does not exempt the project from municipal authorizations or those from the basin authority.

The ruling clears the project’s main obstacle but sets a strict ceiling: the operation may not irrigate a single liter above what is registered. For the pistachio sector in La Mancha, currently undergoing a strong expansion of woody crops, the resolution confirms that environmental viability depends on proving water availability and turns registered rights into the real limit for any new plantation in the Rus-Valdelobos aquifer.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, no. 214, November 9, 2026, section III, page 39372 (official reference: 2026/7926).