Very High Voltage Line between Gard and Bouches-du-Rhône: the official route, Gard elected officials overexcited

Friday September 27, at the exit of the prefecture of the Paca region in Marseille, elected officials and representatives of the Gard agricultural world were not angry. “ Alternative solutions to this project do indeed exist. but they have not been seriously examined. In this case, it is the Gard that we chose to sacrifice! »railed in particular Juan Martinez, mayor of Bellegarde and president of the CCBTA.

That morning, the RTE company mandated by the State to build the infrastructure, officially presented the route chosen for the passage of the future very high voltage overhead line (THT-400,00 volts) ahead, within a few years , link Jonquières-Saint-Vincent to Fos-sur-Mer in Bouches-du-Rhône.

A project which arouses, particularly in the Gard, the strong opposition of elected officials from all sides and representatives of the agricultural world, who particularly fear the disfigurement of the landscapes. “Of course we have to decarbonize, we too, farmers, are suffering cruelly from global warming. But this project that was presented to us, with its cables and its gigantic pylons, is worthy of the seventies! »notably denounced David Sève.

For the president of the FDSEA du Gard, far from this proposal “hussar style”it is indeed a project that is part of the landscape – and therefore more respectful of the environment and farmers – to which we should urgently return. “They had nothing to do with alternative proposals. Burying the cables is what you had to remember! »said Laurent Ducurtir, a retired agricultural worker who came that day especially to Marseille from Beaucaire and firmly opposed to the project.

Around 11:30 a.m., gathered on the sidewalk, these lovers of the land and their land noted bitterly and with one voice, the “indisputable efforts” carried out, according to them, in this affair, to preserve the territory of Bouches-du-Rhône, particularly between Saint Martin-de-Crau and Fos-sur-Mer. “There, the THT line will run alongside the national road… Whereas from Saint-Martin and beyond towards the north (then in the Gard, Editor’s note), it’s going to be big nonsense! »observed, with the outline of the future line in hand, one of the farmers.

Consultation : phase 2

Around 12:45 p.m. in front of the press, in the presence of representatives of the operator RTE and Jérôme Bonet, prefect of Gard, the prefect of the Paca region, Christophe Mirmand (responsible for leading the THT line project on behalf of the State), wanted to point out that the choice now made of this so-called zone “of lesser impact”in no way marked the end of the consultation in this matter.

“The national commission for public debate will be contacted in the coming days. The examination of the file in collaboration with elected officials and local stakeholders will continue until the opening, in 2025, of a public inquiry for a new consultation of the general public.wished to reassure the senior official. Recalling among other things that the new line aims to respond to this need to decarbonize the activity of industrialists in the industrial-port zone of Fos-sur-Mer, Christophe Mirmand also indicated that the realization of the new THT line will also be subject to to its declaration of public utility.

For its part, RTE detailed future impact studies to come: on fauna, flora,“and of course on the agricultural world”insisted a company representative, responding to a journalist’s insistent question.

Without taking into account possible legal recourse, work on the future THT line to connect Joncquières-Saint-Vincent to Fos-Sur-Mer will start at the beginning of 2027. The commissioning of the new infrastructure is estimated by RTE at the end of 2028.