Palma.In order to cut back on its electricity bill, the Council of Majorca has decided to cut power to 17 percent of lampposts which currently light up dual carriages and motorways on the Island.
The move, said Planning and Territory Director Mauricio Rovira yesterday, will be an energy saving worth 1.6 million euros.
Rovira has apparently given the order to switch off 814 of the 4'700 lampposts illuminating the major road arteries of Majorca. The measure is the first phase of a plan which began last June
Unnecessary light
The department was quick to highlight the fact that illumination will only be cut on stretches of the main roads where it is unnecessary. Lighting will still be kept on at all motorway and dual carriageway entrances and exists, and at intersections insisted Rovira, who was adamant that the cuts will in no way affect road safety.
At a later stage of the energy saving plan, he added, technicians from the Council of Majorca's Roads department will be looking at the power outage of lampposts lining the motorways and dual carriageways so that appropriate measures can be taken to maximise output and cut waste.
A final stage of the project will be a study on modernising current roadside illumination, meaning that some of the infrastructure may be replaced.
The Council of Majorca says the entire energy saving plan, including lowering bulb brightness, will mean paying 35% less on their current electricity bill.