The Board of Directors of the State Commercial Society of Agrarian Infrastructures SEIASA, held last July, has agreed to award the company Electromontajes Acoeman, S.L., the execution of the modernization works for the improvement of energy efficiency of the Community of Irrigators of Balazote-La Herrera (Albacete), with a budget of 1,852,328.97 euros (VAT not included).
The “Project of implementation of renewable energies through floating photovoltaic panels in the Community of Irrigators of Balazote-La Herrera (Albacete)” estimates to act on 5,580 hectares corresponding to 445 irrigators in the municipalities of Balazote, La Herrera and Lezuza, in the province of Albacete. The implementation deadline has been set at six months.
The action includes a floating photovoltaic installation that will promote the improvement of energy efficiency through the use of renewable energies and that will mean a drastic reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases and the economic energy expenditure of the irrigators.
Users will have renewable energy to supply existing irrigation facilities, which will mean a major reduction of the fossil fuel dependency for the start-up of irrigation systems.
These actions are carried out within the “Plan for the Improvement of Efficiency and Sustainability in Irrigation” of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), Phase I and have Next Generation funds from the European Union. Its public-private nature means that the public contribution will be a maximum of 80% of the cost of eligible expenses, while the community of irrigators subject to the action will contribute the rest.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), through SEIASA, plans to allocate almost 38 million euros (VAT not included) of the funds of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan to 5 irrigation modernization actions in Castilla-La Mancha.
This Plan, which constitutes the most important investment chapter of the PRTR funds managed by MAPA, foresees a public investment in the whole of Spain of 704 million euros, which is expected to modernise more than 100,000 hectares of irrigation.