Date Published: 07/09/2023

Jumilla farmers save money while improving energy efficiency

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The Miraflores Irrigation Community will receive a grant of 824,000 euros to improve energy efficiency and generate renewable energy

Jumilla farmers save money while improving energy efficiency

The Director General of Water for the Region of Murcia, José Sandoval, visited the Miraflores Irrigation Community around Jumilla to present the aid money granted by the Regional Government that is destined to reduce energy consumption by 14%, avoid the emission of 825 tonnes of CO2 per year and a save up to 403,000 euros per year.

The call for aid from the Rural Development Programme of the Region of Murcia, aimed at improving energy efficiency and renewable energy generation in irrigation communities, will allow the Jumilla community to invest more than 2 million euros, of which nearly 824,000 euros will be subsidised through EAFRD funds. This was explained by the Director General of Water at the presentation of the project, in which he was accompanied by the mayor of Jumilla, Seve González.

The proposed objectives of this project are to reduce specific energy consumption (Loma Hellín borehole) by 557 MWh/year, which represents 14% of current consumption; to generate 1,935 MWh/year of renewable energy; to reduce consumption from the electricity grid by 2,492 MWh/year, which is equivalent to 825 tonnes of CO2 per year; and to save an estimated 403,000 euros per year in energy costs, which represents 63% of current consumption.

The planned work consists of the commissioning of the Loma de Hellín borehole to replace the volumes currently extracted from the wells of Grajas, Gregori and Vereda, and the installation of a pumping unit for 360 m3/h and 290 m.c.a.

In addition, the works will include the installation of three photovoltaic fields to supply the Escarabaja, Loma de Hellín and Omblancas wells or groups of wells, with a power of 850 kWp and consisting of 1,546 panels of 550 Wp. Puntillas will have a power of 420 kWp and 764 panels, and in La Alquería, with a power of 387 kWp and 740 panels also of 550 Wp.

The ‘Miraflores’ Irrigation Community has 958 members and an irrigation area of 1,329 ha. Of this area, 77% is cultivated with fruit trees and the rest with vineyards, olive groves and almond trees. Its water resources consist of 3.8 hm3/year of groundwater from Cingla-Cuchillo and Agra-Cabra and 1.5 hm3/year of reclaimed water from the Waste Water Treatment Plant.

For more local news, events and visiting information go to the home page of Jumilla Today

Image: Ayuntamiento de Jumilla

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Oficina de Turismo Jumilla

The tourist office in the centre of Jumilla is easily found by driving straight into the centre of the town along the Avenida de Murcia and following the signposts. The tourist office is alongside the Parque de Don Albano Martínez Molina, where there are a number of parking spaces.

Jumilla, in the north of the Region of Murcia, has become internationally famous over recent decades due to the quality of the wines produced in the municipality, and wine tourism has begun to attract visitors from other parts of Spain and the rest of Europe.

The tourist office is happy to provide a range of maps and leaflets showing the different bodegas which can be visited within the municipality. Some of these form part of the Rutas del Vino de Jumilla, the Jumilla wine route, and can either be visited as a guided tour or sell their produce directly to the public.(see feed below for more details)

However, the town and the surrounding countryside have plenty of other attractions for visitors, and the popularity of Jumilla wines is leading more and more people to discover other facets of the tenth largest municipality in Spain.

Jumilla Tourist Office

These include the spectacular countryside and birdlife in the Sierra del Carche, the historic remains which range from cave paintings and a Roman mausoleum to the castle, the Iglesia de Santiago, the Town Hall and the Teatro Vico, and the gastronomy: rich stews are accompanied not only by the wines of the area but also by Jumilla pears, which also enjoy Denomination of Origin status.

Tourism in Jumilla is not as seasonal as it is in the coastal areas of the Region of Murcia, but the town is at its liveliest during the fiestas in Holy Week and the August Fair, which incorporates the grape harvest celebrations and the Moors and Christians parades.

The Altiplano of the Region of Murcia, which consists of the municipalities of Jumilla and Yecla, is only just over an hour by car from the Mar Menor, Cartagena, Mazarrón, Torrevieja and Alicante, and anyone wishing to visit real inland Spain and world-class wineries is advised to include Jumilla in their schedule.