The Valencian Regional Government (Generalitat) has started work to improve safety and facilities at the port of Santa Pola (Alicante) in conjunction with the local City Council and the business sector, with an investment of €500,000 by the end of the year.
The project was confirmed by the third Vice President and Minister for the Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery, Vicente Martínez Mus, who visited the site to mark the project’s beginning. There he said that “the demands of the fishermen’s guild, the city council and port users will be addressed and a roadmap has already been prepared to this effect.” The Mayor of the town, Loreto Serrano, was present together with the Minister of Infrastructure, Javier Sendra, the Regional Secretary for Infrastructure and the Director General of Coasts, Ports and Airports, Marc García Manzana, the Valencian Regional Government said in a press statement.
The repair work includes fortifying the entire waterfront of the fish market, in the part closest to the water, as well as resurfacing the most damaged portions, updating the berths, installing new signage and improving the doors of the storage sheds, Martínez Mus said. The first project, which has already been launched, is the enclosing of the port facilities together with the fisherman. The Vice President has highlighted that the work is being done in coordination with the Santa Pola City Council and the concessionaire who is financing the project, and applauded the “public-private collaboration” to develop the port region. He also underlined that “this satisfies a demand of the local fishing sector, one of the most important in the Valencian Community”, which, Martínez Mus insisted, “must be supported”, said the Consell.
He also underlined the “commitment” of the Generalitat with the port of Santa Pola, where “other investments are also being finalized.” The vice president pointed out that “soon a photovoltaic energy supply system will be installed, after an investment of €242,472 financed with European funds”, on this matter. “The solar panels are there already and will be functional soon for self-sufficiency,” he said. “This will result in huge savings in energy for all port users because this is a supply that all users connect to, especially the fishermen themselves with their ice factory,” stressed the vice president. For his part, Serrano underlined the significance of this date, as “it’s a demand that has finally been heard. “There was a need for significant and urgent action in the port area,” he stated.“These are basic things for our municipality and finally this year the Regional Ministry has told us that they will be done,” he added.
