First tunnel project begins in Alt Urgell
The Generalitat has launched a programme to install solar panels and energy-efficient LED lighting in six mountain tunnels across the Pyrenees in Lleida province, starting with the Montant de Tost tunnel on the C-14 road in Fígols i Alinyà (Alt Urgell). The project, which will cost €1.6 million, involves installing around 800 photovoltaic panels capable of generating an estimated 700 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. This energy will power the tunnel’s lighting and operations, reducing its reliance on the grid.
LED lighting to cut energy use by 550MWh yearly
Alongside solar generation, the Montant de Tost tunnel will receive a full LED lighting upgrade. The Generalitat forecasts this will save approximately 550 megawatt-hours of energy each year, significantly cutting both consumption and carbon emissions. This initiative marks one of the first steps in a broader strategy to achieve energy self-sufficiency across Catalonia’s 6,000 kilometres of managed roads, using available land around infrastructure such as tunnels.
Further projects in Alt Urgell, Pallars and Solsonès
Additional work is planned for the Bassella tunnel on the C-14, where €835,000 will fund 180 solar panels. In Pallars, the Feixancs tunnel near Talarn (C-13) will receive 120 solar panels and lighting upgrades at a cost of €600,000. A separate project in the Solsonès, at the Flauta tunnel on the C-55 in Clariana de Cardener, has been licenced for €390,000. It includes around 70 solar modules producing 69.3 kilowatt-hours annually and will be the first with a contractual requirement for zero CO₂ emissions during construction. These efforts are part of the Department of Territory’s Energy Self-Sufficiency and Sovereignty Programme, aiming to decarbonise Catalonia’s road network by harnessing renewable energy from existing infrastructure.
Proven model expanding to mountain regions
The Generalitat has already applied this model on other roads, including tunnels on the C-25 Transversal motorway. Now, it is being extended to key mountain corridors like the C-13 and C-14, which serve as vital links for remote Pyrenean communities.
Primary sources: govern.cat. Reported by segre.com, regio7.cat, Pallars Digital: el diari de les comarques pallareses, ESEFICIENCIA, Territoris.cat, smartlighting, La Valira.
