The photovoltaic power plant project in Lézignan-la-Cèbe is stopped by a court decision

Le projet, porté par la société NEOEN, prévoit la construction d’une centrale photovoltaïque au lieu-dit Le Causse, dans la partie sud de l’ancienne carrière de Lézignan-la-Cèbe. Illustration – P. M. ML

NEOEN, producer of renewable energies, plans to build a photovoltaic power plant on the Arnet plateau, in Lézignan-la-Cèbe, a site sheltering protected species. To do this, an exemption was granted. An appeal was filed by the France nature environment Occitanie Méditerranée association.

The decision of the Montpellier administrative court fell this Wednesday, March 26: the project led by the renewable energy producer NEOEN to build a photovoltaic power plant on the Arnet plateau, in Lézignan-la-Cèbe, is stopped.

Because the court more precisely invalidates the order of the prefect of Hérault of May 9, 2023, granting the company an exemption from the prohibitions relating to the protected species sheltered by the site in question.

An appeal filed by  France nature environment Occitanie Méditerranée

The appeal was filed by the France nature environment Occitanie Méditerranée association (FNE Ocmed) "to confirm that, from the outset, obviously, this photovoltaic park project could not be carried out on this site with strong ecological challenges", as explained by Simon Popy, the president of FNE Ocmed.

The public inquiry, conducted from December 26, 2022 to January 27, 2023 by the investigating commissioner Marc Milliet (which indicates, among other things, that "the participation of the local population" had been "insignificant"), had listed , in its conclusions, the elements favorable and unfavorable to the construction of the power plant.

The naturalistic richness of the site

The favorable points were numerous. Among other things: the State's desire to accelerate the production of renewable energies; the desire of the municipality to develop photovoltaic activity on its territory and on land belonging to it.

The report ended with the unfavorable elements: "The choice of the site with regard to its naturalistic wealth ; the impact on biodiversity and the absence of compensatory measures expressed in the opinion of the DREAL Ecology Department; the opinion of the regional scientific council of the natural heritage of Occitanie on the request for the exemption relating to protected species; the opinion expressed by the Conservatory of Natural Spaces of Occitanie during the public inquiry".

The mayor, Rémi Bouyala, remains optimistic. For him, "it’s the prefectural decree that is canceled, not the project. NEOEN should appeal. There's going to be a sequel, that's for sure!"