A scrubland on hold: the Marguerittes photovoltaic farm project under fire from critics

Sur les hauteurs de Marguerittes, huit hectares de garrigue sont amenés à disparaître. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

Un parc de panneaux solaires devrait voir le jour d’ici 2027 sur une ancienne décharge à Marguerittes. Mais l’installation, qui implique la destruction de huit hectares de garrigue, suscite une vive opposition.

On the heights of Marguerittes, the hill of Mont Rodier could soon disappear under eight hectares of solar panels. This photovoltaic farm project, supported by the Nîmes company VSB énergies nouvelles, deeply divides this small town in the Gard, between the promise of an ecological future and the sacrifice of a natural treasure.

“Putting our heritage on the ballot”

Denis Forzy, president of the Mas Praden neighborhood committee, is furious, he who defends the scrubland tooth and nail and firmly opposes this project. “The scrubland is a unique, precious environment, integrated into a Natura 2000 zone (classified by UNESCO in 2015, Editor's note). It is a fragile ecosystem that is crucial to preserve, he insists. The risk is that if this project comes to fruition, other municipalities could follow, threatening the entire scrubland that is already rare on a national scale and putting our heritage up for grabs.”

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Resistance to this project is being organized. An online petition, already with nearly 1,000 signatures, has been actively circulating for a month. But the president of the neighborhood committee is thinking bigger: the European Commission and members of parliament from the constituency have been contacted to raise the issue, and a march followed by a picnic on the site with local associations is planned to raise awareness among residents. “The date remains to be defined, but one thing is certain, we cannot stand by and do nothing.”

A project with multiple arguments

On the side of the company VSB énergies nouvelles, in charge of the project, the arguments are well-rehearsed. The photovoltaic park is part of the government's energy transition objectives. “It will double the rate of photovoltaic installations by 2035, while meeting the municipality's electricity needs with green energy”, it is specified.

The company also highlights economic advantages for Marguerittes. The financial benefits, estimated at four million euros over 30 years, should finance municipal projects, including a new gymnasium. Finally, the Nîmes company emphasizes the preventive aspect of the project in the face of the risk of fires, which are frequent in the scrubland. “The solar farm could play a role in firebreak development.”

An opposition that persists

In Marguerittes, this project crystallizes a much broader debate: how to reconcile energy transition and preservation of natural heritage ? The case will soon go through a public inquiry. In the meantime, tensions are rising. Denis Forzy advocates alternative solutions, such as installing panels on the roofs of parking lots. And while the municipality has already made efforts in this direction, particularly on municipal facilities, this does not calm the concerns related to the destruction of a natural space.

But before any progress, the project will still have to overcome several stages, including a modification of the Local Urban Plan (PLU) and a public inquiry. And as the sun sets on Mont Rodier, the standoff continues.

Contacted, the city of Marguerittes did not wish to comment. I subscribe to read the rest