Following the rejection of the administrative appeal by the Conselleria, the Casinos City Council has filed a preliminary requirement against a new regional resolution. This resolution approves the necessary infrastructure project to inject renewable gas into the network, near the municipal area of Casinos. This action reinforces the legal offensive initiated months ago and could also lead to court proceedings.
The requirement, signed on April 13, challenges the resolution from the General Directorate of Energy and Mines that authorizes the company Nedgia Cegas S.A. to adapt infrastructure and install the necessary systems to inject renewable gas into the network in the area where the plant is projected. The City Council argues that this authorization is "contrary to law" and, above all, cannot be understood as an independent project from the biomethane plant promoted by Bioenergía Gas Renovable.
“"The problem is that something that is actually part of the same project is being processed separately."
The core of the requirement is based on the idea of a "functional unit" between the plant and the gas infrastructure, which would necessitate a joint evaluation. According to the document, the regional administration itself acknowledges that the injection facility's sole purpose is to process gas generated by a specific plant. In the Council's view, this implies that the infrastructure lacks its own functional autonomy and that separate processing constitutes an undue fragmentation of the project, violating Law 21/2013 on Environmental Assessment and European regulations.
Another central argument is the alleged inadequacy of the environmental assessment conducted. The City Council criticizes that the report supporting the gas infrastructure concludes there are no significant effects, but does so by analyzing only a part of the system. Casinos warns that impacts must be evaluated jointly, especially on sensitive issues such as aquifer contamination, emissions and odors, or the impact on nearby populations, as the urban center is just over two kilometers away.
The requirement goes further, directly requesting the nullity of the resolution, understanding that a complete environmental assessment of the project, an essential element, has been omitted. The council invokes Article 47 of the Administrative Procedure Law to argue that this is not a formal defect but a substantial infringement that invalidates the authorization. Furthermore, it criticizes the expediente's interpretation of other administrations' silence as conformity, which it considers legally unacceptable.
The Casinos City Council requests the revocation of the authorization or, at least, that the procedure be rolled back to subject the project to a joint evaluation. Otherwise, it warns that it will resort to administrative litigation. This new move adds to the already rejected administrative appeal and the future lawsuit before the High Court of Justice that the council is preparing.
