Protocol of Environmental Measures
A collaboration on behalf of nature!
The ‘Protocol to Support the Implementation of Environmental Measures’, signed by Milvoz and the company Boavista Sun Cernache, is currently in force to reduce the negative impacts of a photovoltaic plant.
(english version on the right arrow)
The signing of the ‘Protocol to Support the Implementation of Environmental Measures’ with the company Boavista Sun Cernache represented another positive milestone in the fight to preserve the natural values of the region of Coimbra, more specifically the Morena Bio-Reserve and its surroundings. As the agreement was reached with the company that is currently benefiting from the destruction of the natural values that once existed there, we feel that the events that led to this agreement should be clarified, taking the opportunity to summarise and briefly explain the events that have unfolded over the last few years.
The implementation of the ‘Barcos Solar Photovoltaic Plant’ is a project that Milvoz has fought against from the beginning, given the importance of the natural and cultural values present in the area chosen for it. The fact that the project initially envisaged the destruction of 70 hectares of Mediterranean forest and scrubland in an excellent state of conservation, without an Environmental Impact Assessment is an unthinkable situation from the point of view of land management, and one that Milvoz could not allow to pass through the intended procedures.
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Milvoz was still an informal group of citizens when we received the information about the intention to set up a solar power station with 120,000 panels between the villages of Loureiro, Telhadela, Feteira and Casa Telhada. After we, as members of the future Milvoz team, learnt about the nesting of a couple of eagle-owls (a sensitive and increasingly rare species in the region), we began to make every possible effort with other environmental organisations, namely the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), to attempt to stop this project, which at the time still did not have the necessary licences.​​
Milvoz also mapped the eagle owl's nesting areas along the valley in the park's implementation area and notified the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) of the project's impacts on the species, as well as on all the natural communities present. These efforts influenced the technical reports issued by the institution, which demanded the preservation of the species' nesting area and a ban on work during the nesting season. Considering that the measures were still insufficient in view of the impact caused, Milvoz repeatedly tried to contact the company Nova Ouriense, which by that time owned the already approved project. Our goal was to share our concerns and to seek commitments to partially or totally compensate for the negative impacts created.
After several negotiation events, an environmental compensation protocol was signed with the Nova Ouriense company, which guaranteed the establishment of compensation measures for the destroyed area. This protocol stated the transfer an area of 15 hectares adjacent to the future photovoltaic plant for the symbolic price of €1. Part of this area is currently the Morena Bio-Reserve, which should be expanded in the future to make up the total area agreed. We signed also a 30-year loan agreement, which established that the association would be responsible for managing an area of around 70 hectares in the Lousã mountain range. This area is currently the Vale da Aveleira Integral Bio-Reserve.
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Between 2022 and 2023, the licence for the exploration of the solar plant was transferred to a new company, Boavista Sun Cernache, from the Aquila Clean Energy group. This company, which currently runs the activity in the photovoltaic plant, completed the installation of the infrastructure in 2024. During the implementation period, Milvoz kept in touch with the company, with the goal of further reducing the negative impact caused by the project and guaranteeing the fulfilment of all the measures contained in the previous protocol signed with the company Nova Ouriense for the area.
Aware of the harmful impacts caused by this type of project, Boavista Sun Cernache has cemented its interest in supporting the implementation of the environmental measures proposed by Milvoz by signing a ‘Protocol to Support the Implementation of Environmental Measures’. This protocol, which began in July 2024, has a minimum duration of 2 years and 6 months, although both parties are keen for it to be extended during the operating life of the ‘Barcos Solar Photovoltaic Plant’. This support will help to implement environmental monitoring and preservation measures in the Morena Bio-Reserve and its surroundings, to recover habitats that have suffered negative ecological disturbances/alterations, to recover species that have abandoned their territory due to the disturbance and to guarantee the future protection of the areas that have persisted.