They want to cover the change with solar panel fields, and we were among the people who said a lot, "We're going to lose the land and the life".

Prominu’s fields are being covered with solar panels. We were among those who said enough: “We will remain without land and life.” A Japanese SUV drives through stone and dry, yellow grass. It climbs like a cat from the south-western, mountainous side of Promin. Stones crack, the machine groans, and fingers grip the steering wheel. The emblem of the Fourth Guard appears in the rearview mirror. The slogan “When we start, the sky and earth will burn” dances in the rhythm of Josip’s drive. “A If they allow this, I lose everything. Everything falls into water,” shouts a young, rugged farmer. He is just one of many real, living people genuinely frightened by the recent move of the county's pen. Promin, the municipality under the same name of the mountain in the heart of Zagora, along with neighboring settlements, has been awake these days watching the development of the situation. So-called passive areas have stopped. And it seems they do not intend to withdraw. It began with the sun, which continues to mercilessly beat down on Josip’s truck. In Promin, a solar power plant is being built, the largest in Croatia and one of the largest in this part of Europe. Spanish company Acciona Energia obtained permits for the project and now it is simply a matter of time before the panels cover 300 hectares of Promin’s hills. Locals have agreed to this, welcoming the energy transition. Solar plants in a small municipality The problem arose when the proposal for a new spatial plan was announced. Changes foresee over two thousand hectares for solar plants throughout the entire Šibenik-Knin County. And almost 53 percent of all those new areas, about 700 hectares, have been allocated to a small, rural municipality with barely 800 residents. When added to the Spanish 300 hectares, over 1,100 hectares of Promin would need to be covered with panels. For a municipality that constitutes less than five percent of the county, this means that solar farms could swallow a fifth of its remaining free space. Authorities justify this with the rehabilitation of abandoned bauxite mines, but locals fear that nature will be destroyed and installations will come within 200 meters of homes. This is a summary of the concerns of the local community. They have stopped, signed petitions, and sent a request to the county government asking to remove the new solar fields. But there has yet to be a final response. In the only café in Oklau, at the center of Promin, we sit with Ante Džaja and Ante Tošić. Young, educated individuals explain what is happening. The names Ante Džaja and Ante Tošić are not against building the solar power plant, but they are against further expansion. Petition and public debate “This, at least so far, has nothing direct to do with Spaniards. They are doing their power plant, but we are talking about other, potential solar fields. At the moment, consideration is being given to the justification for placing solar plants on former mining sites. If you look at the county spatial plan, the idea is to allocate 1,100 hectares in Promin for solar farms. Of the planned two thousand hectares at the county level, more than half of those should be here. We reacted, submitted a petition with nearly 550 signatures, and asked them to do this without public debate, without specific grounds or explanations. The municipality called a meeting and concluded that all proposed fields should be removed, except those within the mining sites. They gave us the possibility to investigate this legally. We see this as green light,” they explain to our colleagues. They say they were surprised by the illogicalities. “We were caught off guard by the whole thing. Only the Spanish power plant, which is supposed to be completed by the end of 2027, can provide electricity for 85,000 households. That does not bother us. Let them build, let them create more energy sources. But this further expansion is not acceptable. We don’t even know who is behind it; there are more interested investors. We repeat, we are not against building, which is proven by the fact that a power plant is already being built on 300 hectares. But this excess... We are standing on a ball,” they say. Even 53 percent of all those new areas, another 700 hectares, has been allocated to a small, rural municipality with barely 800 residents.