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‘Among windmills’. The route passes through the municipalities of Herrera de Valdecañas, Hornillos de Cerrato and Valdecañas de Cerrato, where the Celada Fusión wind farm is located
ACCIONA Energía presented today its ‘Discover Cerrato Palentino’ project, an initiative to boost tourism in the municipalities of Herrera de Valdecañas, Hornillos de Cerrato and Valdecañas de Cerrato, in Palencia, through a thematic hiking route around the Celada Fusión wind farm.
The inauguration ceremony of the project was attended by Víctor Arrollo, Mayor of Herrera de Valdecañas; Nacho Valdeolmillos, Mayor of Hornillos de Cerrato; Donaciano Sardó, Mayor of Valdecañas de Cerrato; Maria José de la Fuente, president of the ADRI Cerrato Palentino Association and first vice-president of the Provincial Council of Palencia; and Roberto Santiesteban, Manager of Social Impact Management at ACCIONA Energía. The event was held in the Town Hall of Valdecañas de Cerrato, where the initiative was presented and the route, named ‘Entre Molinos’ (‘Among windmills’ in Spanish), had a symbolic start.
The ‘Discover Cerrato Palentino’ project resulted from a of dialogue with the local community to identify measures to promote the socio-economic development of the area. When ACCIONA Energía arrives to a new region, its priority is to listen to the community - farmers, livestock farmers, local councils and associations - to understand their challenges and how the company can help address them. In the case of the three municipalities of the Cerrato area in Palencia, the decision was that the company would help stimulate tourism.
ACCIONA Energía, in collaboration with the company La Tierra del Roble, designed this hiking route, which will include educational and informative activities to raise awareness about renewable energy and the benefits of practicing sports in the nature.
The project is financed by ACCIONA Energía, through the reinvestment of part of the annual income from the Celada Fusión wind farm, which the company allocates to improving the well-being of the local community.
MODELIC INTEGRATION
The ‘Discover Cerrato Palentino’ project is part of the social impact management plan for the Celada Fusion wind power project, developed, built and operated by ACCIONA Energía. With a capacity of 48MWp, the facility generates 136,000MWh of clean electricity per year, equivalent to the consumption of around 36,000 homes, avoiding the emission of some 60,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Celada Fusion is the most recent wind farm that ACCIONA Energía has built in the area, where it has in total eight wind power projects with a capacity of 192MW. These projects have made the Cerrato area a spearhead for the development of renewables in the province.
The Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE) has recognised the good rural integration of the Celada Fusión wind farm by awarding Hornillos de Cerrato the Eolo 2024 Award. The AEE highlights that this is a model municipality for its wind development, where the implementation of wind energy is being done with the maximum harmony and compatibility with the rest of the economic, cultural and environmental activities of the territory, as well as being an example of how empty Spain can be revitalised with the help of wind projects.