- In addition to retaining ownership of the land, they will be able to continue with their agricultural and forestry activities.
3% of the total production of electricity of the two wind farms managed by Endesa in the region of Curtis will be paid to the owners of the land on which these wind farms are built in the form of rent. The Concello (city council) will also receive more than one million euros every year for these two wind farm projects, as announced in the information meetings held today with residents of Curtis.
Endesa will roll out the projects for the Caíño and Brancellao wind farms in this region through its renewable energy division, Enel Green Power España (EGPE), with a total investment of 150 million euros and 116 million euros, respectively. The first wind farm will have an installed capacity of 187 megawatts (MW) and cover the towns of Curtis, Aranga, Oza-Cesuras, Sobrado and Guitiriz. The Brancellao wind farm will have an installed capacity of 140 MW, and cover the towns of Curtis, Boimorto, Vilasantar, Frades, Mesía, Ordes and Carral.
The wind farms will be completed within a period of approximately a year and a half and the projects will create some 400 jobs during this period. When the wind farms are commissioned, an additional thirteen people will be hired with open-ended contracts for their operation and maintenance. Locals will be hired during the construction phase but the level of activity will be boosted in the region's services sector, in particular, in the hotel and catering sector.
In addition, the new facilities will supply renewable energy at competitive prices to companies in Galicia, guaranteeing their viability, while sustaining hundreds of jobs.
Concello de Curtis will receive a large amount of money for its ICIO (tax on constructions installations and works) and municipal licences. When the wind farm is commissioned, the company will pay more than one million euros each year to Curtis City Council in the form of property tax (IBI), Economic Activities Tax (EAT) and wind power fees.
The land owners of the plots on which the wind farm will be built will not lose ownership of the land or be asked to interrupt their current agricultural and forestry activities, because the wind power operations are fully compatible with livestock and agricultural farming operations. In addition to being capable of continuing with their current operations, they will receive a sum equivalent to 3% of the annual electricity production of each wind farm in the form of rent.
The company undertakes to preserve the legally established distance to rural areas, roads, archaeological sites or areas of environmental interest in the area.
The environmental permits required for the projects of Caíño and Brancellao are the strictest in Spain and include the study of synergies and their impacts within a radius of 15 kilometres, taking into account both projects and others that may be in progress and carried out by third parties.