400,000 volt line between Jonquières-Saint-Vincent and Fos-sur-Mer: natural reserve managers opposed to the project

La ligne s'étendra sur plus ou moins 65 km et permettra de renforcer le réseau électrique actuel. Midi Libre – Midi Libre

The managers of all the nature reserves of Camargue, Crau and Alpilles have expressed their opposition to the project to create a very high voltage line which plans to cross these sectors to connect Fos-sur-Mer in Jonquières-Saint-Vincent. 
 

Until April 7, the network manager RTE is submitting for consultation the project to create a 400,000 volt overhead power line between Fos-sur-Mer and Jonquières-Saint-Vincent. In this context, the managers of natural reserves likely to be impacted by this project gave their opinion through a joint note.

Representatives of the PACA conservatory of natural spaces, the Tour du Valat, the National Society for the Protection of Nature, the Friends of the Vigueirat marshes, the Alpilles Regional Natural Park and of the Bouches-du-Rhône Chamber of Agriculture affirmed their opposition to this project which, according to them, is not & ;quot;compatible with the exceptional nature of the biodiversity and landscapes of this sector.

Impacts on protected birds

S'they remind "to fully support the ambition of energy transition and decarbonization of industrial activities in order to fight against climate change& quot;, the signatories wished to bring to the attention of the general public "the serious risks of harm to the remarkable biodiversity of the territory".

For them, whatever the variant chosen (several hypotheses are currently being studied concerning the implementation of the line), the project has "very high probabilities of inducing major direct or indirect impacts on protected areas at the national and regional level. Impacts which would concern in particular, due to the risk of collision, protected and threatened species of birds such as the little bustard, Bonelli's eagle, the Great Bittern, the Great Sandgrouse or even migratory species, the line being "on flyways of international importance". 

The alternatives "have not been satisfactorily studied"

The managers, recalling that the project concerns "a territory of exceptional biological richness", indicate that the latter "has very significant landscape impacts". It is also "likely to have considerable impacts on agricultural sectors, already weakened, which are essential to the economy of the territory but also bring ;rsquo;biodiversity issues". The alternatives for the implementation of this airline would also have & quot;not been studied satisfactorily, neither in terms of technologies, nor in terms of energy production. 

They also ask that studies on the cumulative effects of all past and future development projects in Camargue, Crau and Alpilles be carried out before any new decision on development. development and that all infrastructure projects, such as the Arles motorway bypass, or the Clesud extension, are & quot;debated through global ecological planning.