Neighborhood associations will appeal to the Government for the expansion of the port of Valencia

Yesterday afternoon, the Federation of Neighborhood Associations (FAAVV) of Valencia met to study the document with which they had breakfast.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
30 November 2022 Wednesday 22:41
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Neighborhood associations will appeal to the Government for the expansion of the port of Valencia

Yesterday afternoon, the Federation of Neighborhood Associations (FAAVV) of Valencia met to study the document with which they had breakfast. The neighboring entity knew the report of compatibility with the marine strategy issued by the Ministerio de Transición Ecológica on the northern extension of the port of Valencia yesterday, after its publication in Eldiario.es.

Since Monday, its president, María José Broseta, had brandished "the annoyance that the Ministry of Ecological Transition has issued a 'favorable with conditions' compatibility report while it has not been made public", and yesterday she reaffirmed, in her statements to La Vanguardia: "If there is a report that is compatible but with conditions, that document should have come out first so that allegations could be made, because the port works for the port, but the port affects the entire city," Broseta declared, minutes before to enter the meeting.

Even acknowledging that he had not yet had time to delve into the text, Broseta declared that the affectation of the works is "important in the neighborhoods of the maritime strip that are attached to these works" and wondered if for this expansion they are going to make pass "more trucks on the V-30".

The neighborhood representative also assured that "what we are not going to do is remain silent, and if we have to reach the Ministry, and the Government, we will go, because we do not agree with the conditions," she said.

The compatibility report with the marine strategy raises 21 conditions that question the viability of the expansion project and reveals the breach of the Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) of 2007 in terms of beach regeneration. The report specifies that these objections must be corrected "so that the action is fully compatible with the content of the marine strategy."

One of the main problems is the express prohibition of taking 2.6 million cubic meters of sand to fill the docks of the bank's future container terminal located off the coast of Cullera and Sueca. The report indicates that "analyzed the studies carried out in the area, we consider that they are not sufficient to adequately characterize the material that is intended to be extracted."

The project requires 25.7 million cubic meters of fill material for the esplanades of the new docks, 6 million more than what was contemplated in the DIA of 2007. Of these, it is expected to extract 15.1 million dredged inside the the dock of the Port of Valencia, another 7.1 dredged in the interior of the Port of Sagunto and the aforementioned 2.6 million off the coast of Cullera and Sueca.

Regarding the ecosystem, fauna and flora, the report establishes that "within the port area of ​​the Port of Sagunto there are two rafts for the culture of mussels and curly oysters; with respect to the presence of cetaceans and sea turtles, the report indicates that To the north of the Port, an area of ​​accumulation of sightings is identified; there are aquaculture cages 3.4 kilometers from the port of Sagunto; in the surroundings of the port of Sagunto there are three beaches with bathing areas; there are areas of trawling effort and fence 1 kilometer from the port of Sagunto; species of special protection, Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa”.

The main objection has referred to the age of the current DIA, since it states that "the presence of bird and cetacean species has been verified in the area of ​​action and consequently the PVA has been updated, a review of the status could be opportune of the marine biocoenoses due to the time elapsed since the publication in the BOE of the DIA. As a consequence of this review of the current status of the biocoenoses, if necessary, the PVA should be updated".

Regarding the risk of erosion of the southern beaches, the report states: "The consequences of erosion and flooding of the land adjacent to the beach will affect and degrade the Albufera Natural Park, an area of ​​incalculable ecological and environmental value." .

“It is not expected that the Turia river will contribute sediments to its mouth again; the rise in sea level due to global warming is undeniable; possible extensions of the port of Valencia”. This increases the erosive action of the sea on the coast, leaving the beaches without sand. With this, the non-acting of the coast entails "a progressive erosion and represents a clear threat to the conservation of the Albufera Natural Park".

For this reason, the report proposes a new environmental procedure for the project: "The Port Authority of Valencia, as a substantive body, is informed that in the event that an environmental impact assessment procedure is initiated for the reference action, this The report will lose its validity for the aforementioned operations and a new compatibility report must be requested as part of the consultation process with the affected public administrations”.