“Although we recognise the urgency and importance of the energy transition, we consider that the project in question does not meet the minimum criteria for territorial, ecological, and social sustainability,” said the environmental association.

The Sophia photovoltaic solar power plant covers the municipalities of Fundão, Idanha-a-Nova, and Penamacor, in the district of Castelo Branco, and represents an investment of 590 million euros, for a capacity of 867 MWp (Megawatt peak).

Rewilding Portugal stated that significant and irreversible impacts have been revealed on high-value ecosystems, the rural landscape of Gardunha, and communities that have been investing in ecological regeneration and nature tourism.

“We therefore understand that the Sophia project does not represent a just energy transition, but a model of territorial artificialisation incompatible with the principles of conservation, ecological restoration, and territorial cohesion.”

The environmentalists base their position on a detailed analysis of the official data from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and on the assessment of the ecological, social, and territorial risks that the project represents for the municipalities of Fundão, Penamacor, and Idanha-a-Nova, with significant and irreversible impacts on local ecosystems, the landscape, the communities of that region, and the sustainable development model of the territory.

Lack of transparency

“The lack of transparency in this process is a serious aspect that should have been addressed earlier. The lack of clarity regarding the origins and intentions of the investment raises legitimate doubts about its strategic and environmental framework.” The association also stated that rejecting this project does not mean rejecting solar energy, but rather demanding responsible planning, transparency, and ecological justice.

It also argued that there are many other already artificialized areas, abandoned after human use and intervention, or even the roofs of public buildings and other strips, that would allow the production of this energy without implying the destruction of habitats and the creation of a technological monoculture.

“There needs to be courage to make these decisions, because large-scale solar power plants, if poorly located, replace living ecosystems with dead surfaces, creating ecological deserts in a country that needs to renaturalize, reconnect, and restore itself.”

Environmentalists proposed to the Government and competent authorities that they promote the mapping of artificialized areas available for this type of installation, robust tax incentives for the placement of panels on public, logistics, and industrial buildings, and the creation of an Energy Transition with Nature program, which ensures that each megawatt produced also contributes to restoring ecosystems, and that it is produced without putting them at risk. "Given the facts presented and the seriousness of the impacts acknowledged by the EIA itself, Rewilding Portugal requests the complete rejection of the Sophia project and the associated Very High Voltage (VHV) lines."