LevensLives (Alpes-Maritimes).– From the summit of Mount Arpasse, in the Alpes-Maritimes, at an altitude of 700 metres, a panoramic view extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the snow-capped peaks of the Mercantour, passing by the grey braids of the Var River and the red-tiled roofs of the hilltop villages. Two patou dogs, guardians of flocks against wolf attacks, approach to sniff out walkers. They watch over a peaceful flock of 180 sheep who are enjoying flowering thyme.
On this wild and preserved site, located in the commune of Levens, a company controlled by the Monegasque State has obtained the green light to build a photovoltaic power plant: 23,000 panels will be installed on a plot of 11.7 hectares. After six years of lobbying and preparatory studies, the building permit was granted by the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes on 1is March 2024, to the Monegasque Electricity and Gas Company (Smeg), which manages the production and distribution of energy in the principality.
An ecological aberration according to the opponents of the project, who put forward their arguments during the public inquiry, but were not heard by the prefect. “Renewable energies must not be imposed to the detriment of natural spaces. Biodiversity is of major public interest. It must not be sacrificed at any price.”says Ariane Masséglia, president of Perdigones. This environmental protection association from Levens has filed two appeals for annulment with the administrative court, jointly with the Regional Action Federation for the Environment: one against the building permit, the other against the modification of the metropolitan local urban planning scheme (PLU) which made it possible to grant this permit.
Sheep on Mount Arpasse (Alpes-Maritimes). © Photo Hélène Constanty for Mediapart
Enlarge image: Figure 1
« The choice of this site is incomprehensible. This project, if it succeeds, would lead to the destruction of protected insects and reptiles, such as the serrated magician or the ocellated lizard. It threatens several species of vulnerable birds, threatened with extinction, such as the Dartford warbler or the ortolan bunting, which breed on this site. The impact study has serious shortcomings »warns Irène Lastère, president of the League for the Protection of Birds Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
A redeveloped natural area
The Arpasse photovoltaic power plant project is supported by the investment company Monaco Énergies Renewables (MER), whose capital is held by the princely government of Monaco (51%), and Smeg (49%). The French Engie and EDF are shareholders of Smeg. MER already has fifteen photovoltaic parks on French territory. That of Arpasse, located 20 kilometers as the crow flies from the principality, will produce 17,000 MWh (megawatt-hours) per year, with a power of 11.5 MWp (megawatt-peak). A 12 million euro project.
If it took this long for the project to come to fruition, it is because in theory, nothing is supposed to be built in this natural area, a reservoir of biodiversity, far from any urbanization. To enable Monaco to carry it out successfully, it was first necessary to modify the local town planning plan of the Nice-Côte d’Azur metropolis (PLUm), of which the municipality of Levens is a part. The Arpasse plateau, classified as a natural zone, was therefore reclassified as an urban zone with a photovoltaic index, by a deliberation of September 25, 2023, on the grounds that it was a “project of general interest”. Once the PLUm was modified, Smeg was able to submit its building permit application, instructed by the prefecture.
In granting the permit, the State ignored the negative opinion issued by the investigating commissioner who conducted the public inquiry in November 2023.
The discontent of the population was strongly expressed during this survey. Of the twenty-four associations that contributed, only one declared itself in favor of the project. “The twenty-three others highlight the inadequacy between the rich biodiversity of the site and the installation of a photovoltaic power plant, in defiance of regulations, laws and recommendations”, summarizes the investigating commissioner in her conclusions.
“The implementation of the project on this site does not seem to me to meet an imperative reason of major public interest. Consequently, I give an unfavourable opinion on the project to build a photovoltaic power plant on the Mont Arpasse site.”she concludes, after having dismantled, point by point, the arguments of the project’s leaders.
Close ties with the principality
Reading this very well-argued 250-page report, we have the impression that the chips were down in 2017 and that the administrative procedure only validated the choice of a site contrary to all the recommendations, whether they be state, regional, departmental or metropolitan. The State, via The regional directorate for the environment, planning and housing thus specifies that photovoltaics must be installed « first on the roofs of public and private buildings, canopies and car parks. And only then on certain areas with anthropized ground, quarries or old landfills »These guidelines are recalled by the region in its regional plan for planning, sustainable development and territorial equality (Sraddet), by the Alpes-Maritimes department and the Nice-Côte d’Azur metropolis in its climate-air-energy plan.
So why was the natural site of Arpasse chosen?
First, because Antoine Véran, mayor (Les Républicains) for thirty years of this village of 5,000 inhabitants, has spent a crazy amount of energy on this project which he considers to be« national interest ». ” They’is to ensure the safety of’supplying France to meet growing electricity needs »he writes in his response to questions from Mediapart.
The long-standing and close ties between the mayor and the Principality of Monaco also played a key role. Indeed, Antoine Véran spent his entire career (from 1975 to 2009) at Monaco Telecom, where he was CEO and then project manager. In 2008, Prince Albert II of Monaco promoted him to Knight of the Order of Saint-Charles, the principality’s most prestigious decoration, on the national holiday of 15 November. Among the lucky medal recipients of this promotion, distinguished for services rendered to the principality, was Claude Palmero, former administrator of the prince’s assets, dismissed from his duties in June 2023 following the scandal of the Rocher files.
If the photovoltaic park project has successfully passed all the administrative stages of the procedure, it must now face appeals before the administrative courts. “The expected duration of construction of the photovoltaic plant would be between fifteen and twenty months, starting from the final authorization free of all appeals and the implementation of environmental and agricultural compensatory measures”explains Laurence Garbatini, Smeg’s communications delegate.
Breeders, for their part, preferred to keep a low profile. The sheep that graze on the Arpasse belong to the Gaec (agricultural group of joint exploitation) of Porte rouge, whose partners did not speak during the public inquiry. They asserted to Mediapart their ” Reserve duty “, due to their relationship with the municipality. They are in fact tenants of a communal sheepfold located at the foot of the Arpasse and communal grazing land. The project will have a strong impact on their activity: it is difficult, in fact, to believe that thyme and savory will continue to grow in the shade of the solar panels. The breeders have obtained that the lost hectares be compensated by other pastures. But these, located several kilometers from Arpasse, in a neighboring town, will force them to hire a shepherd to guard the flock so far from the farm.
What weight do a few sheep, a brood of linnets and some thorny spurge bushes have in the face of Monaco’s appetites?
