Iberdrola España strengthens protection for the lesser kestrel at the Bargas solar power station with new monitoring and conservation measures
- Together with the Castile-La Mancha region, the company is expanding the project to recover this protected species by fitting radio transmitters and increasing the number of birds released from the Centre for the Recovery of Iberian Birds of Prey (CERI) in Sevilleja de la Jara
- The initiative, carried out at the Barcience solar power station (Bargas), has become a national benchmark for the integration of renewable energy and biodiversity, recognised this year with UNEF's Seal of Excellence for Sustainability
Iberdrola España continues to strengthen its commitment to the conservation of biodiversity in Castile-La Mancha through a new phase of the lesser kestrel recovery project it is carrying out at its Barcience solar power station, located in the municipality of Bargas (Toledo).
The company has recently signed a collaboration agreement with the Castile-La Mancha region, which will give fresh impetus to this conservation programme for one of the region's most iconic and protected steppe birds.
Thanks to this agreement, the new lesser kestrels bred at the Iberian Raptor Recovery Centre (CERI) in Sevilleja de la Jara (Toledo) will be released into the lesser kestrel sanctuary built by Iberdrola España within the solar farm, thereby increasing the number of birds originally planned. The main new development is that these birds will be fitted with radio transmitters, which will enable much more precise scientific monitoring of their movements, survival, settlement and breeding success, generating invaluable information for the conservation of the species.
This development marks a further step forward in a project that began with the creation of a dedicated lesser kestrel roost within the solar farm and which, in just two years, has succeeded in transforming an area where no lesser kestrels were previously found into a new breeding site for the species in the province of Toledo. The project has resulted in a population of around 30 birds, including adults and chicks, with several breeding pairs now established in the nesting structures installed by Iberdrola España.
A model of renewable energy that coexists with biodiversity
The initiative in Bargas forms part of the Convive Program, a strategy that integrates measures to protect flora and fauna into the design, construction and operation of its renewable installations.
As well as the project for the recovery of the lesser kestrel, the solar power plant incorporates initiatives aimed at promoting biodiversity in the surrounding area, such as the installation of beehives to protect pollinating insects, the maintenance of natural vegetation cover and various measures for landscape and environmental integration.
The Barcience plant produces 100% renewable energy thanks to its 50 megawatts of installed capacity and more than 144,900 photovoltaic modules, with the capacity to supply the annual electricity consumption of some 25,000 homes and prevent the emission of approximately 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year.
National recognition for a pioneering project
The environmental commitment demonstrated by Iberdrola España at this facility has received one of the sector's leading accolades this year. The Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) has awarded the Barcience photovoltaic plant the Seal of Excellence for Sustainability, a certification that recognises projects developed to the highest standards of environmental integration, social value creation and biodiversity protection.
Local Renewable energy serving the region
Through this new initiative, Iberdrola España is reinforcing a renewable development model that goes beyond the production of clean energy and incorporates ongoing measures to improve the ecosystems where its facilities are located.
The collaboration with the Regional Government and CERI will now enable progress to be made in scientific understanding of this threatened species and improve the survival and reproduction rates of the lesser kestrel, consolidating the Bargas lesser kestrel project as one of the leading initiatives in the conservation of wildlife linked to renewable energy generation facilities.