The spokesperson for CHA in the Teruel regions, Javier Carbó, has demanded this Saturday from the general director of Culture and Heritage of the Government of Aragón, Pedro Olloqui, "an immediate political rectification" after the decision not to protect the old thermal power plant of Escucha (Teruel).
From CHA they warn that if the Executive presided over by Azcón maintains its position, the preservation of this key element of the industrial heritage of the Mining Basins should also be guaranteed.
Javier Carbó has emphasized that "the first thing Olloqui has to do is rectify and acknowledge that this decision is a mistake. The thermal power plant of Escucha is part of the mining, industrial, and energy history of the Mining Basins and Aragón. Once demolished, that part of our memory will disappear forever."
The Aragonese leader has pointed out that the City Council of Escucha is not in a position to assume alone the cost or the technical complexity of conserving, rehabilitating, and giving a new use to an infrastructure of this size.
In this regard, he has stressed that "the entire responsibility cannot be shifted to the municipality. Escucha needs the economic and technical support of the Teruel Provincial Council, the Government of Aragón, and the Government of Spain. And European funding linked to the transition of mining territories, industrial heritage, cultural tourism, and economic diversification must also be sought."
Carbó has insisted that "the Government of Aragón must lead this search for solutions and bring all administrations to the same table. The plant can become a cultural, tourist, educational, and economic resource for the Mining Basins, but for that, investment and a serious project are needed. Escucha cannot save alone a heritage that belongs to all Aragonese society."
For all these reasons, CHA demands "that the Government of Aragón reverse its decision and adopt the necessary measures to prevent the demolition while working on a viable alternative for conservation and new uses." "They are still in time to rectify," emphasized Javier Carbó.
At the same time, the spokesperson for CHA in the Institutional and Statutory Development Commission of the Cortes of Aragón, Mary Carmen Bozal, plans to register two initiatives in the Cortes "asking the Government for explanations regarding this decision."