The Secretary of State for Agriculture and Food, Begoña García Bernal, visited today the completion of an ambitious project aimed at improving energy efficiency in more than 11,715 hectares of irrigation land, located on the right bank of the Guadalquivir River, within the Riegos del Viar community in Seville. This effort, which required a total investment of 4.95 million euros, seeks to positively impact the 1,868 irrigators who depend on this agricultural infrastructure.
At the heart of this project is a 4-megawatt photovoltaic plant, designed to operate in self-consumption mode without surplus, which significantly reduces the dependence on conventional energy pumping stations, favoring the use of renewable sources. Additionally, frequency converters have been installed in the stations, improving their energy efficiency and reducing consumption.
The area benefited by these actions covers several Sevillian municipalities, including Cantillana, Villaverde del Río, Alcalá del Río, Burguillos, Guillena, Salteras, and La Algaba, where citrus and other fruit trees are predominantly grown, representing 73.19% of land use. Industrial crops, vegetables, cereals, and forages are also grown, albeit in smaller proportions.
The modernization effort has not only focused on energy efficiency but has also incorporated measures for environmental protection, such as a vegetal barrier that promotes the presence of pollinators, along with the construction of a water pond that supports local biodiversity.
This project is part of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan of the Spanish Government, partly financed by the Next Generation EU funds. The initiative stands out as an example of alignment between agricultural modernization and sustainability and ecological transition objectives.
via: MiMub in Spanish
