'Spectacular' lighting overhaul for Lorca castle

New LEDs will use much less electricity and will be adjustable for different occasions

Lorca council is going to spend over €300,000 to renovate the ornamental lighting on its iconic castle.

This significant investment will literally highlight the historical value of the city’s most visited monument, and will also improve its energy efficiency by over 75% through the installation of LED technology.

The project will be carried out on the exterior perimeter wall, the Alfonsina Tower and the Espolón Tower.

Moreover, the lights will be adjustable to suit events, historical anniversaries or seasonal celebrations like Christmas, Easter, San Clemente or the annual Feria Grande.

This unprecedented lighting will look spectacular at night and will be visible from many parts of the municipality, improving its status as a tourist attraction even more, according to Councillor for Industrial Services Antonio David Sánchez during a visit to the castle.

He assured it is one of their most anticipated projects of the last 18 months, but did not mention when it is due to be finished.

The total wattage of the new system will be only 12,697W, compared to 52,450W at the moment.
These highly efficient projectors will be individually controllable with specific optics for each segment, so that the light can be distributed uniformly without significantly modifying the current installation points.

Indeed, the existing wiring will be reused, and added to in sections that were not illuminated before in order to complete the circuit around the perimeter.

The colour temperature of the new lights will be warm tones between 2,200K and 3,000K, so as to emphasise the textures and reliefs of the architecture without creating light pollution, noted Sánchez.

The tender for the contract attracted bids from 17 companies and was awarded to Industrias Eléctricas Brocal, which made the lowest bid of €302,523 (including IVA/VAT), which was 27% less than the base estimate.

It is being financed with EU Next Generation funds awarded by the regional government of Murcia’s sustainable tourism plan.

The councillor said they are doing more with less by responding to public demand, improving heritage, reducing electricity consumption and making the city “more modern, sustainable and attractive”, in line with the council’s overall strategy for the municipality.

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Image: Ayuntamiento de Lorca