Ministry of Environment licenses wind farms in burnt Evros forest

Less than twenty days after the devastating fires in the forests of Evros in north-eastern Greece, the Ministry of Environment and Energy is already issuing licenses for the construction of wind turbine parks on burnt sites, in NATURA 2000 zones where black vultures and other protected vultures live.

Is it difficult to install wind turbines on the Acropolis? It’s a joke now, but for how long?

Efforts to “take over” nature reserves and conservation areas territories of Greece by electricity producing companies have been going on for many years. At the same time, the Mitsotakis government, deceiving the public, continued to place wind turbines throughout the country, even in parched areas!

This information confirms the statements of participants in the protest demonstrations that the fires were conscious and deliberate, despite the fact that the authorities previously tried to blame illegal migrants and “special arsonists.” There is a criminal conspiracy according to which certain persons interested in the placement of wind power plants hired arsonists who started fires in the reserves in order to lift the ban on the placement of wind power plants. And this is clearly not the first time…

The fires in Evros, which remained uncontrolled for two weeks, have been described as the largest in the history of the European Union. Video published on September 3: a crazed black vulture returned to the Dadiya forest after the fires. He is looking for his nest and his family…

According to an article by the Greek Ornithological Society, the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia – Thrace (ADM-Th) a few days ago, September 20started wind farm licensing (ASPIE) in the fire-affected area and in the NATURA zone (special protection zone, ZEP) GR1110009 “Evros Southern Forest Complex”.

The licensing was actually based on a unanimous positive recommendation from the Regional Environmental Licensing Council (PESPA) of Thrace, which defiantly crossed out the negative conclusion of OFYPEKAwhich manages the Evros Delta and Dadia National Parks for this particular project.

https://rua.gr/news/prireco/54560-glava-jp-morgan-nuzhno-otbirat-zemlyu-dlya-stroitelstva-vetryanykh-i-solnechnykh-elektrostantsij.html

According to information received at the PESPA meeting, the positive recommendation is based only on a corresponding question from the PESPA President to the Director General of Environmental Policy (DGPP) of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (EEM), who “reported that the Ministry is positive about the environmental licensing of the project”, without any -documentary confirmation and refutation of OFYPEKA’s positions.

https://rua.gr/news/prireco/49545-gretsiya-zakonoproekt-fakticheski-likvidiruyushchij-prirodookhrannye-zony-vyzyvaet-vozmushchenie.html

The cynicism of the decision is amazing: “are wind generators disturbing the birds? No problem, we will destroy forests and birds.” While local society in particular and Greek society in general are still numb to the fact that most of the unique Dadia National Park has been burned for two years in a row, the cynicism and indifference of the administrative authorities responsible for licensing projects that, according to documents, are onerous for bird life, are not only shocking, but also outrageous, the Ornithological Society notes.

Red: fire map, green squares: licenses for operation and production – according to the Hellenic Ornithological Society

Especially at a time when the critical habitat of the Black Vulture in the Dadia Forest has been so severely impacted and there is uncertainty about the future of its unique population in Greece, it does not make sense that the EEM has not taken any action to regulate the local activity (installation of wind turbines) , which poses a serious threat to all species of vultures.

The Ministry has at its disposal all the necessary scientific research and legislative instruments to optimally regulate these activities in the direction of protecting endangered vulture species, but in many cases it not only does not address them, but even bypasses them!

At the same time, this issue with AEPO is a link in an alarmingly growing chain of permits, mainly for renewable energy projects, which are issued in the presence of a negative opinion from OFYPEKA, responsible for conducting a proper impact assessment of projects on NATURA territories and their protected sites.

Several ASPIE permits issued in the summer of 2023 were rejected by OFYPEKA. In other words, it seems that OFYPEKA’s conclusions now have a decorative value for the General Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the decentralized administrations, despite the fact that for most projects OFYPEKA is the only agency that deals with the proper assessment of their impact on the NATURA regions.

The society stressed: “We take it for granted that the decentralized administration of Macedonia-Thrace will immediately withdraw the AEPO for ASPIE MYTAKAS 1 and 2 in the burned area of ​​Evros.” However, questions for the leadership of the ministry, which also has primary responsibility for projects located within or directly affecting NATURA territories, arise naturally, demanding clear answers and, above all, clear actions.

Based on publication Greek Ornithological Society

PS Are you surprised by such impudence on the part of energy companies? However, why aren’t you surprised by the statements of the Prime Minister, who attributed the fires to climate change, and who recently stated that climate change is an opportunity to develop tourism in the country…

And tourism needs additional energy… Well, you understand…

P.P.S. Regarding the arsonists: all Greek residents and local media wondered, “who needs it, and who financed it all”. The question now becomes: rhetorical.

PPPS How against this background is the story of a 75-year-old woman who threw 4 kittens into the trash and received a fine of 120 thousand euros, looks completely surreal. Like the story of Jean Valjean, who received 19 years in prison for stealing a crust of bread…

This is clearly demonstrated by the constant misleading of residents in the mountains of Gerania, where, despite repeated public promises that the territory will be protected and planted with forests, all preparations are being made for… an invasion of wind energy companies (RES), as the Athens News wrote in October 2022.

Following the catastrophic fire of 19 May 2021, which burned more than 6,000 hectares of virgin forest within the Natura 2000 reserve, the competent ministers assured the public that wind turbines would not be installed in the area under any circumstances.

But their assurances turned out to be another lie after it was revealed that the Energy Regulatory Administration has already issued certificates to renewable energy companies (and published them publicly), and Deputy Environment Minister Georgios Amyras was forced to admit this in parliament a few days ago.

A complex of wind turbines built on an area that was burned out by fires a few years earlier.

The document clearly states that “the certificate is issued for a wind farm with an installed capacity of 4.6 MW in Makriplagi in the municipalities of Agios Theodori and Megareon of the municipalities of Loutraki-Perahora-Agioi Theodoroi and Megareon.”

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