More than 300 people gathered on Sunday in Beaucaire (Gard) against a project for a very high voltage overhead power line intended in particular to decarbonize the industrial-port zone (ZIP) of Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille. Gathered, due to the rain, under the sheds of a wine estate decorated with banners “decarbonize yes, trash no!”they were protesting against the project of a 400,000 volt overhead line over approximately 65 km between Jonquières-Saint-Vincent in Gard and Fos-sur-Mer, in neighboring Bouches-du-Rhône.
From February to early April, the high voltage network manager RTE carried out a “prior consultation”presenting two possible route zones for this project estimated at 300 million euros with commissioning planned for 2028. RTE must offer State services a “zone of least impact”. According to RTE, the future line must make it possible to respond to new connection requests equivalent to a “doubling of power at the peak of current consumption in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region”in particular for the decarbonization of existing industries in the Fos ZIP and the supply of new industrial projects.
“All other scenarios, such as landfilling or on-site energy production, were immediately ruled out”denounced Luc Perrin, representative of the Association Sauvegarde Terre d’Argence, castigating a “consultation parody”. “This project only aims to go as quickly and as cheaply as possible”he said, assuring that “If someone wants to impose it on us, we will oppose it with all our strength and deploy all possible means to defeat it”.
Many local elected officials, including the RN mayor of Beaucaire Julien Sanchez, and two Gard parliamentarians, the socialist senator Denis Bouad and the RN deputy Yoann Gillet, were present to denounce the project. This line would come “kill our living environment, our agriculture, our tourism”denounced Yoann Gillet, assuring that “we will all launch legal proceedings” against the project.
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“We (opponents of the two departments) are united, hand in hand”for his part assured AFP Jean-Luc Moya, of the association “act for Crau” and the collective “Stop THT 13/30”denouncing a project “poorly planned in advance” And “RTE’s desire to pit populations and time zones against each other”. “We will challenge in court all decisions or deliberations that can be challenged,” he assured. A demonstration against the project brought together around 500 people in early April in Arles.
