The PSOE member from Teruel also explained that his council “could under no circumstances take on” the investment required to rehabilitate and subsequently manage the building, as it is very large. He noted that they currently cannot afford the cost of the five security guards who monitor the site.
MOTION TO PRESERVE THE ESCUCHA POWER PLANT
In this regard, the Aragon Parliament will debate an initiative this Thursday to preserve the facility as industrial heritage and create a foundation to guarantee its future, presented by Teruel Existe. The party is demanding that the Aragon Government reverse its decision after it rejected declaring the Escucha thermal power plant a Site of Cultural Interest, a Listed Heritage Site or an Inventoried Heritage Site.
“Repsol, as the owner, should have guaranteed the maintenance of the facilities, while Escucha Town Council should have monitored their conservation,” said its leader, Tomás Guitarte, although he acknowledged that the council cannot take on such a large project alone and has therefore requested the direct involvement of the Aragon Government.
The Teruel Existe spokesperson said that any deterioration currently present at the facilities cannot be used as an argument to justify their disappearance. He also recalled that Escucha's own General Urban Development Plan protects the building's structure and that Aragonese cultural heritage legislation allows public administrations to intervene to prevent irreparable damage.
PSOE AMENDMENT CALLS FOR ARAGON GOVERNMENT TO TAKE OWNERSHIP
In response to this PNL submitted by TE, the PSOE has registered an amendment calling on the government led by Jorge Azcón to assume ownership of the building and therefore all the responsibilities of an owner. It also asks the Aragon Government to involve Repsol, the facility's owner, in financing the rehabilitation in order to achieve its preservation.
Regional lawmaker Carlos Ros said the Aragon Government must “relieve of the administrative and financial burden” a town council “that lacks the financial and management capacity to maintain” infrastructure of this kind, “whatever its eventual use may be”.
