Our
small commune, St Aquilin (pop 500) is riven by rumours, libel,
slander and general ill-will over a project that, in the abstract, is
all that fits in with current bio preconceptions, all that could be
desired ecologically, arguably even economically. In real life, in
this real village, it is expensive,in the wrong place, probably not economic and so,
arguably, just plain daft.
The
project is to create a methane gas plant that would be fuelled by
cowshit and other farm detritus, that would produce electricity which
would mostly be sold to the French state electricity body,
Electricite de France, some
used to dry farm produce that is otherwise subject to weather
variations, such as maize, walnuts, wood,
hay.
Here
is the first snag: a monopoly purchaser is as unreliable as a
monopoly supplier. Those whose decision, a decade or so ago, to
cover barn roofs in solar panels, was swayed by the option to 'sell'
electricity in excess to their own needs, will very probably agree.
The project has been launched by probably the village's largest, in terms of land owned or leased, accredited organic farmer. He is a charming, active young man who has specialised in rearing cows, growing cereals and gathering walnuts. His rapid acquisition of land, whether purchased or leased, has inevitably irritated others who either coveted the same properties or generally go 'mutter,suffer,grumble' about 'upstarts' and whatever the French is for 'getting too big for his boots.' He is
associated with a few other farmers in the immediate neighborhood (not actually St Aquilin locals) and has formed an
association that has been given the State accolade GIEE –
groupement d'interet economique et environnemental – by
the Department of Agriculture.
 |
| The farm buildings, surrounded by trees, many of which will have to come down - site of the future gas dome |
Unfortunately,
the operational centre of his farming activity, and the proposed site
for the methaniseur is
surrounded by woodland, some of it protected. Not far from this
rustic centre, at the end of a rural road shaded by ancient chestnuts
are four houses and an unexceptional chateau.
Their
proprietors learned of the project by accident through an article in
the local newspaper, the respected Sud-Ouest early in 2015. Not
surprisingly they are incensed and
very vocal on the subject.
 |
| An existing gas dome of similar size to the one projected |
Their
complaints vary from the insecurity of the project –
methane
is an unstable gas, deadly in some forms (ask coal miners) and
popularly known for its use as rocket fuel;
–
include
damage to the local environment as 25 ton lorries deliver the
(smelly) raw material on a road not suited to such weights;
-
is uneconomic and will not create the projected jobs;
-
last but not least, the impact on the value of their
properties...nimbyism exists in rural France, too.
It is also argued that Germany, so far ahead in many matters ecological, is having second thoughts about the impact of methane gas plants, that it has shut some down.
Also,
there is already a methaniseur under
construction in the commune of St Astier, not far away, on
a main road. (Random info:
St Astier was a more important saint than St Aquilin, the two are
thought to have been friends. St Astier has a church to his name that
is 1,000 years old, well the site is anyway.)
There
are only four real employers based in St Aquilin, the
Mairie
and the school, the bar,restaurant,epicerie Le St Aquilin,
and the camp site with summer bar and restaurant, also a stocked lake
for fishing, L'Etang des Garennes. The
latter two, only potential
employers, are also likely to
suffer from the development.
The
heart of the problem of this near 3m euro project, the 7th
such in the Dordogne, is that it cannot get off the ground without departmental, state and EEC aid. No one can predict, should it come into existence,
how long it will need a monetary subvention. It is an expense for
the many, of benefit to a few.
