Iberdrola expands lesser kestrel recovery project at 50 MW photovoltaic plant in Spain

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Iberdrola España and the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha) have reached an agreement to expand the scope of the lesser kestrel recovery project at the Barcience photovoltaic plant in the municipality of Bargas, Toledo province, adding measures such as radio transmitter tracking and an increase in the number of released birds.

The lesser kestrel is a protected bird species. Iberdrola built a kestrel nest box (primillar) within the Barcience photovoltaic plant premises to attract this species. When the project began, there were no lesser kestrel individuals in the area, and within just two years, it has become a new breeding site in the province of Toledo.

The new phase includes the installation of radio transmitters on lesser kestrel individuals from the Iberian Raptor Recovery Centre (Centro de Recuperación de Rapaces Ibéricas, CERI) in Sevilleja de la Jara, located in Toledo province. This system can be used to track the birds' movement range, survival status, settlement patterns, and breeding behavior. At the same time, the number of released birds in the nest box within the plant will be increased.

The lesser kestrel population currently stands at approximately 30 individuals, including adults and juveniles, and several pairs have already occupied the structures used for nesting. Once the radio transmitters are in operation, researchers will obtain more precise data to understand the birds' movements after release and their behavior during their stay in the environment.

Lesser kestrel individuals raised at the CERI recovery centre will be transferred to the nest box at the Barcience plant for release. Through the radio transmitters, the project team will be able to gain more detailed knowledge of their movement patterns and monitor indicators related to survival and breeding success rates.

The Barcience project is part of Iberdrola's "Convive Programme" (Programa Convive), which encompasses flora and fauna conservation actions related to its renewable energy generation facilities. In addition to lesser kestrel monitoring, the plant also hosts beehives to promote pollinator insect populations and maintains natural vegetation cover, along with other environmental and landscape integration measures.

The Barcience photovoltaic plant has an installed capacity of 50 MW and is equipped with more than 144,900 photovoltaic modules. Its annual electricity generation can meet the consumption needs of approximately 25,000 households, and according to data provided by the project developer, it avoids around 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The actions implemented by Iberdrola at this plant received the "Sustainability Excellence Seal" (Sello de Excelencia para la Sostenibilidad) awarded this year by the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (Unión Española Fotovoltaica, UNEF). This certification recognizes projects that integrate environmental integration, biodiversity conservation, and social contribution measures.

The agreement signed with the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha and the collaboration with CERI will expand the available information on the lesser kestrel. The radio transmitters will serve as a tool for analyzing the behavior of released birds and understanding their evolution. The project aims to consolidate the nest box at the Bargas plant as a breeding site for the species within the photovoltaic facility, with the new phase combining individual releases with scientific monitoring to track their survival, settlement, and breeding status.