The Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that crews will start work today on a third undersea cable between Eivissa’s Torrent substation and the substation in Es Ca Marí, part of a bid to improve coverage on Formentera's power grid. According to the national electricity grid operator, the new line, together with two built-in 132 kilovolt (kV) connectors, won’t just make it possible to meet consumption needs safely and stably, it will also deliver a boost to the green energy transition in the Balearics.

Work related to the €96m infrastructure project, including construction of a pipeline to house the cable, is expected to take six months. "It's one of the largest investments ever made in the history of our island", explained President Alejandra Ferrer, who said she hoped it would solve noise issues that residents in the area have endured “for too many years". And she went further still, assuring that the roadmap for Formentera was to "continue promoting renewable energies" and work to set "a timetable for decarbonisation of the power plant".

The line will leave the Eivissa shoreline at Talamanca and run 27.15 kilometres at a maximum depth of 62 metres below the water’s surface. The underwater cable will not affect Ses Salines Natural Reserve, added Ferrer, who pointed out that decision-making about the route of the line had involved consensus with local government, and that the goal was “to avoid damaging posidonia meadows”.

Construction updates

On Eivissa the works will cover a 5.26-km swath of land between Torrent and Talamanca. On Formentera the affected area will span 4.8 km, stretching from Es Carnatge to the PM-820, following alongside the highway in a straight line to Es Ca Marí before doglegging over to the substation. The cable will run underground and cut mainly across public land. Though some partial road closures will be required, the only area completely closed to vehicle traffic will be at the line’s arrival at Es Ca Marí. Complete information on the progress of the works and associated road closures can be found in a dedicated section of the Formentera Office of Infrastructure website.

Last Monday 11 October, project engineers from Red Eléctrica de España offered local political party representatives an overview of plans for the third power line.

13 October 2021
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

This morning Consell de Formentera chief Alejandra Ferrer, second-in-command Ana Juan and general services councillor Bartomeu Escandell paid a visit to the Citizen Information Office (Oficina d'Atenció Ciutadana, OAC) during its new weekly hours of operation, Monday from 9.00am to 2.00pm, at La Mola's Casa del Poble.

The aim, said President Ferrer, is to bridge the gap between local government and the island's most remote village, La Mola, and save area residents a trip to Sant Francesc. Ferrer indicated that visitors will be able to access the same services as those offered at the OAC in Sant Francesc.

The Councillor of General Services said the change was possible thanks to the increased digitalisation and growing online presence of local government government: “All we need is a computer that's connected our system and to the Internet and we can deliver these services to any corner of the island”.

Whether at the OAC's brick-and-mortar location on Carrer Ramon Llull, 6, or through the virtual office (OVAC), islanders can do things like add their name to the municipal register, pay fees, register for courses and more. There is also a one-stop window service where formalities involving other government agencies can be processed.

4 October 2021
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Formentera Offices of Education and Island Services are pleased to report that, based on requests from school administrative teams, parents' associations and student councils, assorted upkeep has been completed in local schools ahead of the return to classrooms this September. In recent weeks the Formentera Office of Island Services maintenance brigade has helped teachers and administrators at the Sant Ferran school and Escoleta des Camí Vell relocate to new buildings, and a cleaning company was brought in this summer to get everything ready for the start of the school year.

See below for an overview of operations:

CEIP Sant Ferran
New storage units were added to the primary school playground and a pergola was put up in the infant playground. The infant playground features material repurposed from the previous setup, and crews assisted with the move.

CEIP Mestre Lluís Andreu
Crews cleaned; applied fresh coats of paint to the school’s façade and exterior enclosure wall; trimmed vegetation; replaced tiles; performed upkeep on outside railings and outdoor port-a-potty; did light repairs on a goal-post and basketball hoop in the upper playground; repaired and repositioned outdoor lighting installations.

CEIP El Pilar de la Mola
In La Mola, crews touched up paint indoors and out; checked and repaired segments of fencing; cleaned and performed prep work in the garden; painted the P.E. shed and replaced separation ropes in the outdoor courtyard. Additional plans are in place to replace sink taps in infant restrooms.

Escoleta Sa Miranda
At Sa Miranda, classrooms and corridors have been painted, mosquito nets and awnings replaced and wooden fences around playgrounds repaired.

New Sant Ferran school
Crews helped move materials and set up the new centre.

Cleaning has also been done at all the schools ahead of children’s return to classrooms.

9 September 2021
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Formentera Department of Inspection Services reports that from Monday 26 July until 15 September the island’s roadworthiness test site (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos, ITV) will open Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 2.30pm and will close Thursday afternoons. The morning timetable has been extended by half an hour from 2.00pm to accommodate all the weekly appointments. Staff estimate the change will mean they can offer 30 additional appointments per week. Opening Thursday afternoons allowed the service to accommodate just 18 additional appointments.

An overabundance of slots still available this July meant motorists with August appointments were contacted via SMS in case they wished to move them forward. Appointments for roadworthiness tests can be made by calling 971 32 31 30 or emailing itv@conselldeformentera.cat.

The Formentera ITV closed out 2020 with a waiting list of zero and nearly 6,000 vehicles inspected.

16 July 2021
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera