Favorable environmental report for the La Vinatesa solar plant in Segrià

The Renewable Energy Panel has issued a favorable environmental impact report for the La Vinatesa solar photovoltaic plant project (6.59 MWp), promoted by Blue Genia, SL, in the municipal terms of Albatàrrec and Lleida, in the Segrià region. The resolution, signed by the Director General of Environmental Policies and Natural Environment, Marc Vilahur Chiaraviglio, is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9752, of September 16, 2026, with the reference CVE-DOGC-A-26251002-2026. The agreement determines that the project does not need to undergo an ordinary environmental impact assessment, as it has no significant effects on the environment.

The published text is Resolution TER/3173/2026, of September 7, which publicizes the Agreement adopted by the Panel in the session of June 4, 2026, at the proposal of the Environmental Territorial Office of Lleida of the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition. The project is framed within Decree-law 16/2019, of November 26, on urgent measures for the climate emergency and the promotion of renewable energies, and in Annex II of Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment (group 4.j), which subjects it to the simplified procedure. The file is FUE-2024-03787940 - OTAALL20240106.

The processing began on April 16, 2024, when the Energy Section forwarded the request for a sufficiency report. On April 22, 2024, the Environmental Territorial Office issued an unfavorable report due to the lack of an avifauna study; the document was provided on July 1, 2024, and received a favorable report on July 3. On March 3, 2026, the hearing process was opened, and on May 8, 2026, the complete file entered the Directorate General of Environmental Policies and Natural Environment.

Technical characteristics of the installation

The plant extends over irrigated agricultural lands of the Urgell canals, with a plot area of 17.97 ha and a total occupation of 13.04 ha divided into seven enclosures, two of which are separated by approximately 300 meters. The central point of the installation is located at coordinates ETRS89 UTM31N 303,444 m, 4,605,268 m.

• 11,986 photovoltaic modules of 550 Wp on 461 fixed structures oriented south and driven directly into the ground.
• Two inverters (HEMK FS4010K and HEMK FS2195K) and two transformation centers.
• Underground medium-voltage electrical line of 25 kV and 2.08 km to the sectioning center of the El Tossalet SPPV.
• Earthworks of 11,910.23 m³ of excavation and 12,266.50 m³ of embankment, with a nearly balanced balance.
• Seven independent accesses from existing roads (camí de la Peixera de Dalt, carrerada d’Albatàrrec, camí de la Gavarrera).

Environmental conditions and fauna protection

The report established eighteen development conditions and requires the developer to notify the Territorial Environmental Office of Lleida of the start of works and to submit a final report signed by the environmental management.

• Make the transformation center of the farmhouse in polygon 22, plot 258, of Lleida compatible with its use as a breeding and refuge space for fauna.
• Hunting fence 2 meters high, 20 x 30 cm mesh and a lower gap of 15 cm, with signage to avoid bird collisions.
• Total prohibition of phytocides and biocides for vegetation maintenance.
• Permanent herbaceous cover with native species and nest boxes for the common nuthatch, the Eurasian dip songbird, the blue tit, the common chaffinch, and the Eurasian wren.
• Archaeological control of all earthworks and conservation of the heritage structures in the area.
• Noisy works during daytime hours and compliance with the conditions of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation.

Cumulative impact and allegations

The report points to the alteration of the agricultural landscape as the most relevant potential impact and emphasizes that it must be assessed jointly with other facilities. Within a 5 km radius, there are up to ten photovoltaic projects totaling 121.28 ha: four authorized (Sol del Segre I, Variant Sud, Sol de Vinatesa, and Sol de Perera) and six in process (Urgell I, Urgell II, Miret, El Tossalet, Helmi Solar, and La Femosa).

During the public information period, Unió de Pagesos requested the annulment of the project due to an alleged non-compliance with Law 3/2019, of June 17, on agricultural spaces, and the Association of Neighbors of the Horta Sud de Lleida alleged the accumulation of solar parks and the proximity to the protected area of the mas de Melons-Alfés. The developer responded that the proposal complies with the regulations and justified the environmental fit. The Department of Culture, the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia, the Territorial Urbanism Commission of Lleida, the Segrià County Council, and the Lleida City Council also issued favorable reports, with conditions.

The report is published in the DOGC and on the Department’s electronic headquarters and loses its validity if the project is not authorized within a maximum period of four years. For the readers of Segrià, the resolution confirms the concentration of photovoltaic parks in an already fragmented agricultural plain and establishes the environmental safeguards that the installation must comply with.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9752, September 16, 2026, Announcements section, Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26251002-2026).