San Javier pulls the plug on El Mirador Biogas Plant following mounting community pressure

The town hall points to technical issues and a lack of local support as residents celebrate a hard-won victory

After years of debate and months of intense local pressure, the proposed biogas plant in El Mirador will not go ahead, at least for now. The San Javier Town Hall has announced it will issue a negative ruling on the plant’s declaration of public interest, effectively stopping the project. For local campaign group Stop Biogás Mar Menor, it's “a great victory for citizen mobilisation”.

The story goes back two years, when Enagás Renovables submitted plans for the biomethane plant. From the start, residents voiced concerns. Hundreds of formal complaints were filed, protests hit the streets, and the issue became a regular topic at town council meetings throughout 2024, 2025 and into 2026.

Mayor José Miguel Luengo said the decision rests on both technical and social grounds. He spoke about concerns over the plant’s planned use of pig slurry, which has no local support, and said the final design didn’t match the model first proposed. He also noted the “manifest absence of social interest,” pointing out that neither the company nor local farmers had formally backed the project.

Stop Biogás Mar Menor welcomed the news but stressed the fight isn’t over. The group reminded residents that “headlines don’t stop administrative processes” and promised to remain vigilant until the technical and legal report is signed and the file is formally closed. In a social media post, they said the step back by the town hall shows what a community can achieve when it organises with “legal rigour and social force”.

For now, the people in El Mirador and across San Javier can breathe a little easier. The case is the second recent setback for biogas projects in Murcia, following another community-led halt in Las Torres de Cotillas.

Read also: Camposol Biogas Platform meets regional MP to discuss proposed biogas plant and request update on the rambla saga

Image: Stop Biogás Mar Menor