FOLLOWING a closed meeting with Silves Câmara on April 26, electricity company Rede Eléctrica Nacional (REN) has announced that it will not alter the proposed route to erect pylons through the area of Vale Fuzeiros, despite opposition and protests from local residents.
Henrique Gomes, from REN, said that it was possible to make “micro-adjustments” to the planned route but said that it could not be moved more than 200 metres away. Representatives from REN spoke to câmara members about the necessity to maintain the current route and why the alternative route further north would not be a viable option.
Protests
Gomes said that the project would go ahead because it was fully approved and did not encounter any opposition during the environmental impact study. The pylons will link Tunes and Portimão power stations over a distance of 40 kilometres and will pass through Vale Fuzeiros, where most of the protesters reside.
He refuted any suggestion that the original route, which was further north, was changed for economic reasons and said that residents could continue to protest against the project but it would have little effect.
Around 30 local residents held a protest inside the câmara building, while the meeting was in progress. The route is likely to directly affect 299 Silves residents and a petition has been signed, citing the project as a health risk.
Local residents will continue to protest against the project and what they believe has been planned and approved in an underhanded and secretive manner.
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