At Thursday's council meeting in Alcudia, there was criticism of a lack of progress being made on the mainland electricity cable, the location of which has aroused considerable controversy and protest.
A motion tabled by María Ramos of Unidas Podemos demanding greater transparency in negotiations with Spain's ministry for ecological transition and the publishing of available information on the cable project was rejected. A consensus among political parties at the town hall regarding the cable was therefore broken.
Ramos reminded the council that there was unanimous approval in December 2022 in calling for a commission to study alternatives to the layout of the cable. This commission would comprise all relevant authorities plus Red Electrica, the national grid company.
Although there are residents who are against the cable full stop, the arguments have been and continue to be the point of entry in Alcudia and the land route to the substation on the industrial estate. As to the point of entry, all proposals for the Bay of Pollensa have met with stiff opposition, the preference being the Bay of Alcudia.
Mayor Fina Linares said there is "permanent contact" with the Balearic government on the matter and with the residents' group that opposes the project (VAAC). "But we cannot commission a study until we have a concrete layout on the table." The VAAC fears that everything has in fact been decided.
Domingo Bonnín, who was mayor before the elections in May last year, observed: "We are in the same situation as a year ago, the only difference now being that the residents' platform doesn't come to protest at council meetings."
The lack of progress is undeniable. Decisions have to be made as the Spanish government's timetable is for the cable to be operative by 2027. It is calculated that it will take two years to lay the cable from Valencia to Mallorca.