At a meeting in Alcudia on Tuesday, the Balearic government's director general for energy, Pep Malagrava, stressed the need for consensus in arriving at decisions regarding the routeing of the mainland electricity cable. To this end, the regional ministry for energy transition will mediate between the Spanish government and Red Electrica on one side and Alcudia town hall, environmentalists GOB and residents affected by the cable (VAAC) on the other.
Sebastià Pujol, spokesperson for the VAAC platform, said after the meeting that "we have expressed our concerns about this project and have asked that the impact on public health is included in the reports". "Posidonia is important, but people's health is no less important. In Spain, the regulations are much more lax than in other European countries, where the distance of these cables is 200 metres from the homes. In Alcudia it would only be four metres."
Various options for the cable's entry point on the Bay of Pollensa have been considered. All have been rejected by residents. As there has been no final decision regarding the entry point, the precise route of the cable to the substation on the industrial estate by the Es Murterar power station has also yet to be agreed. However, there are suspicions that this route has been more or less decided upon.
When the project was first presented, the Balearic ministry for energy transition and the Spanish government favoured the small beach of S'Illot, a proposal that led to an outcry among residents and unanimous rejection by all political groups at the town hall. Compromise options have been looked at, such as one that would see the cable enter near to the marina in Bonaire, but these have also met with stiff opposition.