Coin residents launch campaign to protect Malaga Aquifer from solar farms, adventure parks and plans

Residents of Coin, in the province of Malaga, have created a large grassroots movement to protect public lands which lie beneath their main aquifer. The effort focuses on two major proposals for development that campaigners claim endanger the water supplies of the town and surrounding areas in the Guadalhorce Vally, particularly with regard to final ownership and control over the water supply.

Solar farms to be built on prime cereal land

Seven photovoltaic plants grouped in four clusters The Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park is located near a site that could produce up to 560MW. Promoter Natera Solar and Orla Solar are linked to Admiralty Management, Q-Energy and investment funds Admiralty Management. They aim to cover approximately 1,300 hectares in Coin. These projects also require a substation shared and a 25 km evacuation route to Cartama. This is not nimbyism, but rather a question of who owns land where the water is located.

The development would cover six areas: Alora Alozaina Cartama Casarabonela Coin Pizarra. Just the perimeter fence would cover 80 kilometers. Marisa Casal from the Asociacion Valle Natural de Rio Grande, and the Plataforma Macro Renovables No Network said that these schemes would threaten energy sovereignty as well as food sovereignty. She said that impact studies predict a local temperature rise of 5°C and changes to the biosphere close to the unregulated Rio Grande, one of the few Malaga rivers with permanent flows that support essential flora and fauna.

Maggie, a local farmer Huiquin Dong Lin who goes by the name of Huiquin Dong Lin said that land is for farming, not solar panels. Casal explained that fields are cultivated to offset emissions and the money behind the projects appears to be focused on creating a bubble in order for Next Generation EU funds. The association maps out between 600 and 1000 large photovoltaic systems across Andalucia. Instead, it calls for councils energy communities and rooftop consumption. Andalucia has five of these communities.

The proposed adventure park sits in an aquifer recharge area

A separate 267 million euro scheme called Transcendence, promoted by Nature Call Initiatives and Grupo ARD Investment & Development, targets Los Llanos de Matagallar in Coin. The site is the main recharge area for Sierra Blanca, which supplies Coin and its surrounding farms. The Junta de Andalucia declared the project a strategic investment in July 2023. It includes an artificial surf pool, two golf course, adventure activities, and additional solar plus Biogas installations.

Maria Jose Romero from the Plataforma Ciudadana Mesa del Agua de Coin warned that the construction of new homes could contaminate an aquifer. She claimed that the plan offers no concrete measures for preventing leaks or protecting groundwater, despite claims about water-efficient design via storm-water basins. The plan is described as ecotourism of high quality, and the promoters claim that it will occupy land in an area called the pantry.

Accusations about missing studies and skipping consultations

Both platforms have campaigners. accuse authorities of selling or reclassifying public land They say that there was no public consultation on the full environmental impact assessment or legal acquisition documents. They say that compulsory public consultations were never held. Fears persist of forced expropriation through compulsory purchases at set prices. Casal noted that cereal prices are rising along with imports and farmland is disappearing beneath panels or park infrastructure.

Regional authorities look for breathing space in renewable energy

Malaga, a province that receives more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, is considering over 100 photovoltaic schemes. Diputacion de Malaga has unanimously passed a motion to impose a moratorium for new large projects where local councils have requested one. Antonio Perez, mayor of Alozaina and other mayors have signed letters in which they express concern about agriculture, tourism inland, and the quality of landscape. Alora Town Hall recently banned photovoltaic park for a year.

Earlier, resistance to a proposed river dam was stopped more than 15 year ago with the slogan “Rio Grande Vivo. No a los tubos”. They say that the same vigilance will be required because rivers are crucial to aquifer recharging, ecosystem connectivity and local identity.

The focus of the demands is on decentralised energy and protection

Mesa del Agua y Valle Natural de Rio Grande call on Junta de Andalucia, to reject approvals expedited that do not adhere to strict environmental standards. They call for energy communities to be established in all areas and the installation of renewables at industrial or urban sites already altered.

The European Parliament and Commission have received petitions, who have referred back the issue of the aquifer to the national authorities.

Coin’s Campaign is part of larger networks in Malaga that rejects the notion of rural areas as sacrifice zones. Participants insist that water in the Guadalhorce is scarce and vital. Participants continue to take administrative and legal action while pressing for a plan that maintains farmland productivity, maintains biodiversity and provides clean drinking water to present and future residents.