“This occupation did not allow us to do our work”: opponents of a high voltage line between France and Spain evacuated

In the town of Soorts-Hossegor, activists perched in trees were dislodged by the gendarmes, at the request of the authorities, this Thursday, January 16. These opponents are fighting against the construction of a very high voltage electricity line between France and Spain.

At an estimated cost of three billion euros, this very high voltage interconnection must connect two electrical substations over 400 km, one near Bordeaux and the other near Bilbao in Spain, the route being shared between the ocean and dry land.

Activists want a revision of the route

“This occupation did not allow us to do our work […]who benefit from all the necessary authorizations, according to the planned schedule”, declared to AFP Jérôme Rieu, RTE delegate for the South-West. The arrest of the activists took place within the framework of an order issued by the Dax judicial court prohibits anyone from entering the works, under penalty of a penalty of 1,000 euros per day, explains the prefecture in a press release.

The protesters of the project, mobilized since 2021, are demanding a revision of the route and are trying to delay as much as possible the progress of the work started in November 2023. Within the “Stop THT 40” collective, residents are campaigning for a third option: follow the A63 motorway to the Spanish border. This is what the National Nature Protection Council (CNPN) recommends, which issued an unfavorable opinion on the current route in August 2022.