The town of Espejo, with just over 3,100 inhabitants, faces a critical situation due to the massive implementation of clean energy projects. What was initially conceived as a commitment to sustainability has led to 8% of its rural land being occupied by photovoltaic solar plants, a figure that doubles the limits recommended by the Andalusian Territorial Planning Plan (POTA), which sets a maximum of 5% to ensure environmental and social well-being.

This proliferation has transformed the landscape of the Eastern Cordovan Countryside, historically agricultural and olive-growing, where the silicon structures of megasolar plants now coexist with traditional crops. The City Council's justifying report highlights that this situation has caused a significant loss of agricultural land and reduced economic development opportunities for residents, whose economy is primarily based on the olive sector.

Adding to the problem of photovoltaics is the presence of a large agricultural waste recycling industry, the alperujo processing plant of Oleícola El Tejar, which already generates considerable environmental impact in terms of gases, fumes, and odors. With the addition of this plant, a new facility for the production of hydrolyzed protein for animal feed, and a constantly growing electrical substation, the occupied rural land amounts to 9.94% of the total municipal area.

Given this scenario, the Consistory has decided to amend article 172 of its General Urban Planning Plan (PGOU), which until now allowed various renewable energy installations. The reform seeks to specifically prohibit the “renewable fuel production industry,” such as biogas and biomethane, arguing that these activities are not directly related to the rational exploitation of natural resources and transform the rural nature of the land, relying on the valorization of waste from different origins.