Carondio

The purpose of this web site is to seek your support in protecting 34 prehistoric tombs and dolmens in the archaeological continuum that lies at the foot of Mt. Carondio (1,221 meters). Short of cash and sparsely populated, the regional government is going ahead with plans to put up a wind farm in this pristine mountain range of West Asturias.  

We are in favor of renewable energy, but not at this price. As you know, wind farms entail access roads and electricity lines that destroy landscapes. Because many of us enjoy visiting dolmens such as ‘A Llastra da Filadoira’ (The Spinner’s Capstone, see picture below), we decided to seek your support. 

Here are the Facts: 

In September 2009, the Asturian government approved a macro plan for 40 new wind farms, all of them in rural West Asturias. This is a scarcely populated area, and so it has been for a very long time. But the stunning Cambrian landscapes conceal a richness of Neolithic and other prehistoric monuments: ‘castros’ (Celtic Iron Age hillforts), stone engravings, ancient gold mines and what appears to be a Roman encampment.  

The archaeological complex of Mt. Carondio includes dolmens that are the leading items in the municipality’s cultural page (http://www.allande.org/cultura.asp). In addition, Mt. Carondio is referred to as a ‘protected landscape’. In fact, a previous petition to build a wind farm there in the 1990s was rejected by regional officials because of its high archaeological value. The reason for the current shift is the severity of Spain’s economic recession. And those footing the bill are Asturian counties like our own with the lowest income per capita. 

The wind farm project is being spearheaded by HC Energia, an electricity company based in Lisbon. Infrastructure would include 25 turbines with a height of 60 meters for each pylon. The conundrum the company (and Asturian government) now faces is how to build a wind energy installation around Neolithic barrows. Our point is that it cannot be done on archaeological land. Bulldozer operators have no inkling of what a stone alignment or burial tomb is like and bringing in workers always means large-scale earthmoving.  

Mt. Carondio: an overview 

More than 34 Neolithic sites have been catalogued along the 10km prehistoric highland corridor known locally as ‘La Carreiriega de los Gallegos’ (the causeway of the Galicians). The sites can be found at junctures along the footpath that served as a transportation link between the Navia and the Narcea river valleys. Some of the tombs are well preserved. Others are simple groupings of stones. Archaeologists have also discovered a Roman military encampment in the area, one of two in Asturias.  

Although the regional government refers to this area as a ‘protected landscape’, it has not granted it the necessary legal protection. We think it was simply a formula by regional officials in the 1990s to promote tourism in the county. But this same regional administration is now behind the wind farm project because it needs municipalities like Ayande/Allande to be self-financed. They obviate the fact that tourists do not visit the wilderness to admire the latest wind turbine models by Gamesa.  

Therefore, we are currently in the process of filing a legal complaint in court in Oviedo, the Asturian capital, to prevent the installation of the wind farm on Mt. Carondio. We think a policy that promotes cultural preservation and sustainable development for outlying rural areas is the way ahead for West Asturias, not selling archaeological land wholesale to electricity companies.  

We have also opened an account at Cajastur, the regional savings bank in Asturias, to cover the legal fees involved in the complaint. The IBAN and SWIFT code numbers are as follow:  

IBAN: ES5520480074173400016282

SWIFT code: CECAESMM048 

We would be happy if you can support our cause by signing our petition.

Thank you for your time, 

Citizens for the Preservation of Mt. Carondio