Kythira Wind Turbines Information

RAE’s complete disrespect for the law

How Agia Pelagia and Potamos are endangered  by the Energy Regulatory Authority (RAE), because the laws that should protect these villages are not being respected.

On 10/2/2020, the Energy Regulatory Authority (RAE) issued a license for the production of electricity for the industrial wind park ‘Krotirι-Kefalakia’ to the Company Ellaktor SA. This is a wind park of 14 wind turbines type VESTAS V90 with impeller diameter 90 meters and a total height of 125 meters.

According to the ‘Special Spatial Planning Framework’ the minimum distance from major monuments and historical sites is 3.000 meters. At the meeting of the national Central Archaeological Council (KAS) on 15-6-2012, the declaration/demarcation of the archeological site of Paleochora was approved. The distance of the nearest wind turbine from the declared archeological site is 30 meters!! All wind turbines are located within the exclusion zone of 3.000 meters. The minimum distance from an official tourist accommodation must be 1.000 meters. In Agia Pelagia there are at least 18 tourist accommodations within this exclusion zone!

The provisions of the Greek legislation stipulate that for RAE to grant a license for the production of electricity it must examine: “The possibility of implementation of the project in compliance with the special framework of Spatial planning and sustainable development for RES in a special and specific way’. On 17-6-2010 with a letter to the Minister of Environment and on 6-7-2010 with a letter to the Ministry of Culture RAE requested information in this special and specific way. This update was made and a few exclusion zones were given.

11 Years later, on 12/2/2021, the RAE invited everyone interested to submit a bid for the direct assignment of the project ‘Development of geoinformation maps that will show the exclusion zones, resulting from the planned distances of location of RES facilities according to the Special Framework for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development for RES.’ The reasonable question arises: In these 11 years are the provisions of the legislation taken into account? The answer is simple: NO!

And here is what happens with one of the four production licenses on the island of Kythera for which appeals were made to RAE and were rejected.  Analyzes will follow for the other industrial wind parks with a production license in Kythira. Please note that these are not installation permits. However, this sloppiness on the part of RAE produces severe consequences for our island on many levels (court costs, cancellations of land sales, concern of many of our fellow citizens, etc.)

The dialogue on RES that has started a year ago on the island is important. Also important are any alternative proposals that are put forward. But first of all, it is important to know what is happening in reality and to claim respect for legality. The fact that the RAE gives Production licenses without knowing the exclusion zones is outrageous, but it is even more outrageous to reject the appeals when they are notified about the existence of the exclusion zones!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/551514292125503

Agia Anastasia will have a full wind park view