[WATCH] Mġarr solar farm: Refalo acknowledges land scarcity but still hopes for solution

Mġarr solar farm: Refalo acknowledges land scarcity but still hopes for solution

Agriculture minister Anton Refalo struck a conciliatory tone over a farmers’ battle in Mġarr against plans to turn over 6,000sq.m of agricultural land into a solar farm.

Refalo was touring AgriFair, a government-led fair for the agroindustry in Ta’ Qali, where the Mġarr solar farm’s proponents Electrofix were also present with a stand for their products.

On Saturday, Mġarr residents and farmers will address the press about what they say are worrying developments in the ongoing appeal against the refusal of the solar farm.

“We are discussing this,” Refalo said when asked why the Department of Agriculture had not issued an objection to the solar farm when Malta’s planning rules do not allow good agricultural land to be turned into such projects. “We will take that step forward when we reach a solution. What’s important is to respect the environment, because it is part of our agriculture.”

Refalo denied claims by Electrofix that the company was amending its plans following discussions with the ministry.

“I certainly believe that we must safeguard agricultural land in the farmers’ interest,” he said when questioned about the problems farmers face in finding arable land.

“We have a huge land scarcity problem. There have been two constitutional rulings that farmers must be protected and I will do my utmost as minister to protect farmers.”

The solar farm has already been refused by the Planning Authority, and an appeal is ongoing.

“I agree that such solar farms are problematic,” Refalo said when asked whether his ministry should be discouraging such projects. “But you have to find a solution between both interests.”

The PA planning board’s unanimous decision was in line with its solar farm policy, which clearly states such farms should not take up virgin or agricultural land, but be located on large-scale rooftops, car parks, industrial areas, and quarries. Meanwhile, the rural policy only allows small-scale photovoltaic panels on greenhouses. 

The latest plans seen by MaltaToday envisage the erection of 6,528 panels on 18,760sq.m of land, which represents 42% of the 44,500sq.m site.

The plans rejected by the PA envisaged 5,784 solar panels erected on 90 greenhouses over 14,100sq.m of land – a land coverage of 32%. But while the latest plans actually envisage more panels, the layout leaves room for a central plot of agricultural land. Moreover, the height of the panels was reduced from 4.5m to 4m.

In their appeal, the developers claim the greenhouses will be used to grow “extensive amounts of crops which will be put on the local market for sale, while the solar activity will also be used to lower the commercial cost of the agricultural produce apart from contributing to the national electricity grid.” Plans refer to the growth of vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, aubergines, ginger, herbs, cabbages, strawberries as well as snails. The greenhouses will be placed into the ground using small concrete plinths to ensure that no damage is done to any archaeological remains. 

To circumvent the existing policy against solar farms on agricultural land, the company is now claiming that the main aim of their proposal is to “reinvest in the agricultural activity and making the produce more financially viable.” They also state that they are willing to accept conditions to ensure that should the agricultural activity stop, the solar activity is stopped as well.