Civic movement to march in Lisbon against scaled-down Sophia solar plant

The Mega-Protesto civic movement will demonstrate in Lisbon on 21 November against the Sophia photovoltaic plant planned for Fundão, Idanha-a-Nova and Penamacor, in Castelo Branco district. It follows a second public consultation that closed on 21 October with over 8,151 submissions. The movement says residents are excluded from decisions and wants planning that balances economic activity with protecting natural resources, farming and heritage. Developer Lightsource BP has cut the plant to about 573 MWp, 34% less than first proposed, and halved the number of fenced areas. Opponents are unmoved, noting the company already abandoned its Beira project.