The Fiscal investigates works to transform the old Cercs power plant into an incineration plant that produces energy by burning industrial waste such as vehicle material, recycling and paper. The Public Prosecutor for Urban Crimes and the Environment of Barcelona, Antoni Pelegran, has requested information from the City Council about the dismantling of the factory closed in 2011 in the town, of about 1,100 inhabitants and whose core is located about four kilometers from the land where the company EM Spain Waste & Treatment plans to invest 130 million euros in a new plant.
The Consistory, governed by JxCat, granted construction permits to the developers in March 2019. The mayor, Jesus Calderer, has defended the construction, which plans to generate 219 million kilowatts per hour per year burning 332,000 tons annual waste. The proportion is close to 360,000 tons that processes the incinerator of Sant Adrià de Besòs, the one that calcines the most waste in Catalonia and where part of the garbage in the metropolitan area of Barcelona ends up.
However, the Cercs City Council ordered to stop the demolition of the thermal at the beginning of 2020. “The dismantling project was not in line with the works that were being carried out,” he explains German Sanchez, the councilor of the opposition who filed a complaint with the Public Ministry. In turn, the Urban Planning Commission of the Generalitat it corrected the local government for considering that the incinerator adhered to the planning of the municipality.
The body indicated that it could not be considered compatible as long as there is no urban plan that specifies the buildings to be erected, the uses of the facility and passes the environmental impact assessments. The commission also recalled the existence of habitats of natural interest to be protected in the plant’s surroundings. In turn, the Territory Councilor, Damien Calvet, announced in August that the Government would not process the project, which is rejected by parties and environmental groups in the Berguedà region.
The Consistory ratified in September that the works remain paralyzed. However, there are operators working on the premises. The developer responds that these are not demolition works, but tasks of “cleaning and removal of residues, such as oil, ash and iron from the old power plant”, which are expected to be completed in about three weeks. “There is a repeated suspension of works and they are aware that they cannot enter there,” opposes councilor Sánchez, who assures that “metals and fiber cement are removed and it is not known where they are going.”
EM Spain Waste & Treatment maintains the idea of setting up an incinerator. He claims that he would create a 100 direct and indirect jobs. It is expected to present an urban improvement plan before the end of the year for the construction to be approved.
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