Environmental green light for the Peleas de Abajo biomethane plant

The General Directorate of Environmental Policy of the Regional Government of Castilla y León has formulated the environmental impact statement for the organic waste recovery plant project for biomethane and fertilizers in Peleas de Abajo (Zamora), promoted by Biofertilizantes Peleas de Abajo, S.L.U. The resolution, signed on September 18, 2026, by the general director José Guirao Sola, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León no. 188, of September 28, 2026, with the official reference BOCYL-D-28092026-188-31 and case number EIAO/2024/ZA/030.

The ruling corresponds to the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Environment, and Environmental Policy, which is competent in environmental assessment following Decree 2/2026, of June 13, on the restructuring of Departments, and is issued under Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment, and the consolidated text of the Environmental Prevention Law of Castilla y León (Legislative Decree 1/2015, of November 12). The project is also subject to the integrated environmental authorization regime, and the promoter expressly requested an ordinary impact assessment in accordance with Article 7.1 d) of Law 21/2013.

The processing began on July 4, 2024, when the application was submitted to the General Directorate of Infrastructure and Environmental Sustainability, accompanied by the basic project from July 2024 and the environmental impact study from June 2024. The complete file was received by the Environmental Assessment Service on April 20, 2026.

A plant for 140,000 annual tons of waste

The facility will be located in polygon 1, plots 247, 248, and 249, of Peleas de Abajo, over a total area of 206,713 square meters, of which 171,879 will remain within the fenced perimeter. Its main figures are:

• Projected capacity: 140,000 tons per year of organic waste and 23,461 annual tons of structuring material.
• Estimated production: 16,345,389 Nm³/year of biogas and 8,524,071 Nm³/year of biomethane.
• Other products: 21,946 annual tons of pelletized compost, 31,824 tons of liquid fertilizer, and 30,202 tons of final treated effluent.
• Raw materials: non-hazardous waste and animal by-products (SANDACH) of agricultural, livestock, and agri-food industry origin.
• Self-consumption photovoltaic plant: 4,248 monocrystalline silicon modules of 565 W, with 3,071 kWp of peak power.
• Water consumption: 3,800 m³/year, with effluent recirculation and a possible well intake authorized by the Duero Hydrographic Confederation.

The biomethane obtained will be purified at the plant itself for injection into the natural gas transport network, via the Salamanca–Zamora pipeline owned by Enagás, S.A. The project includes an overhead power line of 5.17 kilometers, 13.2 kV and 60 supports, running through Peleas de Abajo and Corrales del Vino.

Neighborhood and environmentalist objections during public consultation

The application for environmental authorization and the environmental impact study were jointly submitted for public consultation via an announcement published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León No. 198, of October 15, 2025, and displayed on the notice board of the Peleas de Abajo Town Hall. During the exhibition period, objections were submitted by:

• Asociación de ecología y libertad, Asociación para el desarrollo y promoción, Avedillo en pie, Zamora en pie, and Asociación ecologistas en acción Zamora.
• Jambrina Town Hall and Santa Clara de Avedillo Town Hall.
• Numerous private individuals.

The objectors questioned the status of interested parties in the procedure, irregularities in the electronic file, synergistic and cumulative effects with other projects, the risk of the power line, soil and water pollution, gas emissions, distances to urban centers, effects on protected and game birds, and the landscape impact. The promoter responded to all reports and objections received.

Conditions: underground line, water control, and heritage

The declaration reports favorably on the project “for environmental purposes only,” conditioned upon compliance with protective measures. Among the main obligations are:

• Fully undergrounding the power supply line to eliminate the risk of collision or electrocution of avifauna.
• Installing at least three groundwater control piezometers, with semi-annual chemical analyses and a sampling plan prior to the start of activity.
• Maintaining minimum distances of 100 meters from watercourses and 200 meters from wells and public supply intakes.
• Separating support 17 from the Vereda de Toro by 40 meters from the axis and conducting archaeological monitoring of earthworks.
• Submitting an annual report of the environmental monitoring program to the substantive body.

The report from the General Directorate of Natural Heritage and Forestry Policy concludes that the project will not cause harm to the integrity of the Natura 2000 Network, despite its proximity—approximately 230 meters—to the SPA “Llanuras del Guareña” (ES0000208), which hosts populations of steppe birds such as the Montagu’s harrier, the little bustard, the great bustard, and the cortical stone-curlew. The plant is located 1.9 kilometers from the center of Peleas de Abajo and 1.56 kilometers from Jambrina.

The declaration shall expire if the execution of the project does not begin within four years of its publication, and the promoter must notify the environmental body of the dates of commencement of works, completion, and commissioning.

The environmental authorization opens the door to a circular economy infrastructure intended to absorb livestock and agri-food waste from the Tierra del Vino region, with the production of biomethane injectable into the grid and organic fertilizers for the agricultural sector. For the residents of Peleas de Abajo, Jambrina, and Corrales del Vino, the conditions establish guarantees regarding water, noise, odors, avifauna, and heritage that must be verified throughout the plant’s useful life.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, No. 188, of September 28, 2026, I. Community of Castilla y León, D. Other Provisions, page 168 (official reference: BOCYL-D-28092026-188-31).