Following the approval of the third plant, FV Elche I, last week, the Generalitat has granted final permission for the installation and dismantling of the FV Elche IV and FV Elche V plants. With this decision, the publicly traded company only needs to obtain municipal building licenses to begin work.
The projects FV Elche IV, promoted jointly with Amber Solar, and FV Elche V, by the subsidiary Luminora Solar Veintiséis, S.L., are part of a fragmented implementation strategy. These technically connected installations have been jointly evaluated for their cumulative effects on the territory. FV Elche IV will have a capacity of 4.9 MW and FV Elche V of 4.5 MW.
FV Elche IV will occupy an area of 49,258 square meters (almost 5 hectares), with a fenced enclosure of 48,774 m², and the solar panels will occupy 19,453 m². FV Elche V presents similar parameters, with an implementation also around 5 hectares, of which about 2 hectares correspond to photovoltaic modules. Both projects are part of the evacuation route with the rest of the complex's plants (Elche I, II and III) through common underground channels to the connection point. The investment for FV Elche IV is 2.9 million euros and for FV Elche V is 2.7 million.
Among the corrective measures required by sectoral bodies, highlights include the creation of transition zones without panels to reduce visual impact, landscape integration with traditional vegetation, the establishment of ecological corridors, the installation of protection elements for fauna, maintenance of vegetation cover, and limitation of chemical product use. Specific measures to prevent flood risks and control runoff have also been included.
The projects have adapted to territorial conditions such as the protection of livestock trails or proximity to sensitive environmental areas. Existing native vegetation will be maintained in areas of the plot where solar panels are not installed, and compensatory measures are established for lost cultivated plots as habitat for bird species.
During processing, both projects have undergone modifications, especially after technical reports warned of flood risks. This has required submitting corrected versions with additional measures. The process has also involved allegations from groups such as Amigos de los Humedales del Sur de Alicante (Ahsa), the Centre Cultural el Margalló, and the association Grup Talaiola per a l'Estudi i Defensa de la Natura, which have helped strengthen environmental conditions.
With this regional approval, the processing cycle for Soltec, initiated at least in 2023, concludes, and it implies the 30th photovoltaic plant in the Camp d'Elx. The streamlining of bureaucracy in recent months is attributed to the Simplifica Plan. Although the municipal building license process remains, it is customary for them to be approved, as all previous steps have been favorable. The only way for the City Council to deny permission would be if the project were developed in an area where the map does not allow such proliferation, but the modification of the PGOU to accommodate renewables is not yet in force.
