Power plant left by Romans activated $1.2 billion gold and energy mine that travelled through time

EcoNews carries an article about Capital Energy company’s project, consisting of creating an artificial reservoir in the riverbed to raise the water level to a nearby mountain, Caliber.Az reprints the article.

The search for new energy sources is a complex issue, in which costs and benefits have to be weighed in order not to end up creating problems such as the dreaded energy that bankrupted two countries. That is why the costly project of this power plant, which seems to have the backing of all local authorities, is preparing to face serious questions.

The controversy behind Europe’s most powerful power plant

The León region of Cabrera is one of the most depopulated areas in Spain, with barely three inhabitants per square kilometer. This community nestled in the mountains is becoming abandoned as its population has not been renewed for some time. However, it is in this small village that is located a strategic point that could generate large amounts of clean energy.

We are talking about the course of the Cabrera River, which flows through the high mountains of the region and could be used to build a revolutionary energy plant. However, the point where the project would be carried out is located between two ancient Roman structures of great importance and which have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

The project comes from the company Capital Energy, which already has the support of the authorities of the two regions that would be mostly involved. The proposal consists of creating an artificial reservoir in the riverbed to raise the water level to a nearby mountain. There, another reservoir would be built and the water would be dropped through a 900-meter-long chasm drilled in the mountain.

An innovative and expensive project

The company is awaiting state funding as more authorities back the project. They would have to raise 1.2 billion euros to get it up and running but do not expect delays. The conflict in Ukraine has alarmed the entire EU about the possibility of a fossil fuel supply cut, so this plant could be a key resource.

In addition to the reservoirs and the titanic drilling through the mountain, a hydroelectric turbine would be installed at the end of the fall, so it could generate a permanent electrical slack and could produce the equivalent of two nuclear power plants. According to the company, the whole process is “reversible”.

This power plant could supply a large population with clean energy and a stable and renewable supply. However, the region is only 200 meters from the Roman canals and 20 kilometers from Las Médulas, the most important gold mine of the Roman Empire. Both relics have been declared World Heritage Sites and are a great historical treasure.

Once again progress clashes with history

It is a reality that the need for an alternative energy source is an urgency of the first order. We need electricity for all aspects of our lives, and the conflict in the east seems to be spreading further and further. Conducting the necessary environmental impact studies with the possible outcome of the suspension of the project could leave us without electricity in the near future.

On the other hand, although Capital Energy insists on the “reversibility” of the power plant and its low environmental impact, it is inevitable that the project will modify the biomes, compromising endangered species that inhabit the region. One of these species is the Lion Lizard, which has already been recognized by international authorities as an endangered species.

What will weigh most heavily in the authorities’ decision?

Like Elon Musk’s pharaonic photovoltaic project, it will be complex for any authority to decide to compromise historical treasures and endangered species to produce electricity. However, the main promoters of the project are the mayors of the localities involved, who hope to boost their municipalities thanks to the jobs that would arise.