Wind farm proposal advances one step

Iberdrola's wind development subsidiary ECOVASA has managed to advance a 48.8 MW wind farm proposal for Valencia a step beyond the "public provision" stage (see above). The project is planned for installation in the municipality of Ayora, but approval of its environmental impact report has been pending since March. Delays in approving the Ayora project are undoubtedly influenced by the several fires suffered at the proposed site in the past ten years. Fire sensitive Valencia is strict about granting construction permits for fire damaged land, so as to avoid commercially motivated arson on behalf of construction companies-a crime all too frequently committed in Spain. Nevertheless, with bids to tap the region's 300 MW of wind potential piling up on the desk of the industry department, the Valencia government, like that of Cantabria and Catalonia, is being accused by industry insiders of dragging its feet on wind power.