Soto de la Barca: The Abandoned Asturian Village Near a Power Plant 2026

Soto de la Barca, often called the “Asturian Chernobyl,” is an abandoned village in Tineo, Asturias, located next to a former coal-fired power plant. Unlike Chernobyl, there was no nuclear reactor here—just a company town that slowly emptied after the plant closed.

The village was built in 1965 to house workers for the Narcea thermal power plant. At its peak, it had 500 residents and amenities like a cinema, school, social club, and medical office. When the plant closed in 2020, the village lost its reason to exist.

History of Soto de la Barca

Soto de la Barca was the brainchild of businessman Higinio González, who died in 1960, five years before the plant began operating. His plan was to build a thermal plant to burn coal from southwestern Asturias and northern León.

Naturgy set the commercial launch for 1965. As was common, the company built an entire village next to the plant, complete with a school, social club with a bar, parish church, company store, swimming pool, and more.

Why Was Soto de la Barca Abandoned?

The village’s fate was tied to the power plant. When the plant closed in 2020, the main employer disappeared, and residents gradually moved away. The closure was part of a wider shift away from coal in Spain.

In 2023, the Institute for Just Transition allocated 3.5 million euros to rehabilitate part of the village. However, in 2025, the city council returned the funds. The reasons are complex and involve bureaucratic and political changes. The background to this story is set out in Barclays Faces Complaint Over Coal Plant Near Sundarbans. A related thread runs through Trending: latest articles.

What Remains Today

Today, Soto de la Barca stands largely abandoned. The cinema, school, social club, and medical office are empty. The swimming pool is dry. The village is a ghost town, a monument to the coal industry that once powered the region. Earlier coverage in Electro Depot Marks 10 Years in Spain With Low Prices and Giveaway shows how the argument developed. A closer look at the same subject appears in MediaMarkt Outlet: Discounted iPhone 16 and 16e Deals.

Despite its nickname, Soto de la Barca never experienced a nuclear disaster. Its decline was slow and economic, not sudden and catastrophic. Anyone following the wider picture can start with Best European Cities for Quality of Life and Cost: Malaga and Valencia. The same theme surfaces in Soto de la Barca: The Abandoned Asturian Village Near a Power Plant, which takes a different angle.

Key Takeaways

• Soto de la Barca is an abandoned village in Asturias, Spain, built for workers of a coal-fired power plant.
• It was founded in 1965 and had up to 500 residents.
• The closure of the Narcea thermal plant in 2020 led to the village’s abandonment.
• In 2023, 3.5 million euros were granted for rehabilitation, but the funds were returned in 2025.
• The village is often compared to Chernobyl, though no nuclear accident occurred there.

Comparison with Other Abandoned Towns

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