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Plans to construct new biogas and biomethane plants in the southwest of the Region of Murcia have come under fire from environmental groups, neighbourhood associations and local councils alike, raising questions about sustainability, public health and land use.

 

The debate across southwest Murcia about these waste plants underscores the complex balance between renewable energy development and environmental and social responsibility.

 

While biomethane offers an alternative to fossil fuels, the controversy over the location of these plants and the impacts they can have on local communities is highlighting a real need for careful planning, transparent public consultation and citizen participation.

 

 

One of the most contentious proposals is for a large-scale biomethane and biofertiliser production plant just north of the Camposol urbanisation in the municipality of Mazarrón.

 

The plant, designed to process up to 316,160 tonnes of organic waste per year, has triggered a formal objection from environmental action group Ecologistas en Acción. The group has submitted written representations to both the General Directorate of the Environment and the Mayor’s Office of Mazarrón.

 

According to Ecologistas en Acción, the plant’s daily intake of approximately 540 tonnes of waste, transported by an estimated 74 heavy vehicles per day, would generate considerable environmental pressure.

 

These include concerns about air and noise pollution, odours, leachates contaminating soil and aquifers, and an increased risk of spills and traffic congestion on local roads.

 

They also warn that the plant’s location makes it vulnerable to the impact of torrential rains, which could compound the environmental hazards.

 

The proximity of the proposed site to residential areas such as Camposol, Los Serranos, Cantareros and Paretón, as well as the Condado de Alhama Golf Resort, has further alarmed locals. The ecologists argue that prevailing winds could carry foul odours into these communities, harming the quality of life and reducing property values.

 

From an ecological standpoint, the area is part of the proposed Steppe Bird Recovery Plan, which is still pending official approval. The plant’s development would pose a threat to several protected species, including the endangered lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) and little bustard (Tetrax tetrax), as well as the vulnerable black-bellied sandgrouse, Montagu’s harrier and other birds of special interest like the roller and eagle-owl.

 

Ecologistas en Acción characterises such facilities as a false solution to waste management challenges.

 

“They are just a new source of pollution, loss of quality of life for citizens a loss of public health,” they have said.

 

The group continues to campaign for a moratorium on new biogas plants and advocates for a structured reduction in industrial livestock farming, calling for public support to help small-scale farmers shift towards sustainable and extensive practices.

 

 

Meanwhile, in Lorca, biogas plant proposals have also met significant resistance. According to local councillors María Hernández and Ángel Meca, 10 proposed plants have already been rejected by the City Council, with an additional five dismissed by developers themselves.

 

Only three projects – two in Barranco Hondo and Torrealvilla, and the expansion of a facility in El Hinojar – have received the necessary authorisations.

 

The council insists that projects will only be approved if they meet strict criteria, including technical viability, necessity and minimal social or environmental disruption. A new plant proposed in El Hinojar is already set to be rejected due to its failure to meet these requirements.

 

Image:  Ecologistas en Acción