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The rise of Murcia biogas plants, and why they must be more heavily regulated
Murcia city council has rejected a Baños y Mendigo biogas plant for failing to meet urban planning regulations and environmental standards in a showing of public pushback against these facilities
The proposed biogas and biofertiliser plant in Baños y Mendigo, planned by Biometano Murcia Levante, has been blocked by Murcia city council due to non-compliance with urban planning regulations.
The project, which aimed to process 316,000 tonnes of organic waste, has failed to meet the minimum separation distances required under the General Urban Development Plan.
A biogas plant is a facility that turns waste – in Murcia’s case green waste and agricultural waste – into sustainable energy and fertilisers. It is a way of breaking down and reusing organic matter, but these plants also come with environmental concerns as they release toxic gases into the air that are harmful to the environment and to people’s health.
Biogas plants have been linked with diseases such as pulmonary paralysis, asthma, respiratory diseases and has even been connected to fatalities in some cases. Furthermore, the harmful compounds and air contaminants introduced into the environment during biogas production is flammable and potentially explosive.
Plants such as these have been touted by private enterprises and farmers as a solution to be able to reuse and make the most of agricultural waste from Murcia’s many farms, but the response from the public and from town halls has in many cases been negative.
This February 11, 2025, the Directorate-General for the Environment in Murcia requested an official report from the council to proceed with the Baños y Mendigo plant’s Integrated Environmental Authorisation. The response, received recently, was conclusive: the facility is classified as a Singular Facility of High Environmental Impact under article 3.4.5 of Murcia’s General Plan regulations.
This classification applies to industrial activities with significant environmental risks, including cement factories, nuclear power plants, petrochemical storage and waste treatment facilities.
Such projects are only permitted in designated economic zones or undeveloped land with sufficient environmental safeguards, requiring a minimum separation of 2,000 metres from residential areas.
The proposed plant in Baños y Mendigo falls short of these requirements. It is located just 1,831 metres from El Valle Golf Resort, 1,958 metres from Mosa Trajectum Golf Resort, 533 metres from Casa de los Calderones, and 814 metres from homes in Gea y Truyols.
Additionally, the council highlighted that adjacent land in La Loma, zoned for residential development since 2006, further complicates the project’s viability. The plant’s proposed location also interferes with planned road infrastructure linking to the RM-19 highway.
Political opposition to the project has been strong, with many arguing that Murcia lacks specific regulations governing biogas facilities, creating a legal vacuum that allows companies to pursue such developments with minimal oversight.
Beyond regulatory concerns, the rapid increase in biogas projects across the Region has sparked widespread public resistance. Other proposed facilities, such as the planned biomethane plant in Mula, have also faced obstacles due to urban planning restrictions. In Mula’s case, the minimum separation distance required is 2.5 kilometres.
Citizen protests and demonstrations have erupted in multiple locations, including Molina de Segura, Las Torres de Cotillas and San Javier, where opposition movements have gained momentum. In Las Torres de Cotillas, a public consultation is expected to determine the fate of a proposed biogas facility.
Murcia continues to navigate the challenges posed by the expansion of biogas infrastructure across the Region, and must be careful to balance public health, safety and opinion with the need to create environmentally friendly solutions that secure the future of agriculture, which is one of the Region’s biggest moneymakers.
Image: CARM
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