The citizen platform 'STOP Macroplanta Biometano Alhendín y la Vega de Granada' has expressed strong opposition to the project, which plans to process over 140,000 tons annually of livestock and agricultural waste. This figure contrasts sharply with the approximately 4,000 tons of waste generated by the municipality of Alhendín itself, noting that the plant would have the capacity to manage up to 400,000 tons per year.
The waste to be treated includes 58,082 tons of cow manure, 35,000 tons of bovine slurry, 19,746 tons of pig farm slurry, 12,000 tons of olive pomace, 12,000 tons of fruit residues, and 3,916 tons of other vegetable waste. The platform emphasizes that these materials are already pollutants due to treatments with medicines, vaccines, or pesticides.
One of the main concerns is the transportation of this waste. The plant, located on highway A-385 opposite the Marchalhendín industrial estate, would require daily transit of heavy trucks, raising concerns about road safety and the management of potential accidents leading to contaminating spills.
We wonder who covers the decontamination if there is an accident involving one of these trucks.
Furthermore, the platform warns of a potential “pull effect” for the installation of large-scale farms in the area, by offering a place for waste disposal. They also criticize the process's efficiency, noting that only 5% of the waste is converted into gas, while the remaining 95% becomes digestate, a nitrate-rich fertilizer that, according to environmentalists, could contaminate aquifers if used in cultivated fields. Ecologistas en Acción has also warned about the high water consumption of these facilities.
The allegations presented by residents and the La Malahá City Council, whose mayor, Javier Ramírez, has strongly opposed the project, include health risks. The macro-plant could emit gases such as H2S (hydrogen sulfide), NH3 (ammonia), and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), in addition to bacteria and organic dust, which can cause chronic diseases like emphysema or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), along with foul odors. The deadline for submitting allegations is April 20.
“"We have commissioned a specialist company for the relevant allegations. We are also going to collect signatures from businesses so that together we can stop it."
It is worth noting that Granada already has a biomethane plant in La Calahorra, promoted by AGR Biogás, which began construction in 2024 and was inaugurated in December 2025. This facility, the first agro-industrial biomethane plant in Andalucía with direct injection into the general gas network, involved an investment of 25 million euros and has the capacity to generate 58 GWh of biomethane annually, equivalent to the consumption of over 11,000 households.
