The view one takes in while flying over the Karystia This is telling: arrays of gigantic wind turbines resembling rocket systems have sprung up on every mountaintop in the region. In this context, the addition of another 91 new wind turbines—and ones of enormous dimensions at that—in the neighboring areas will result in alteration of the character of Euboea.
Of course, the Municipality of Karystos, since June 2020—and particularly with the establishment of its Energy Community— has made it clear—and quite rightly so—that it will not consent to the issuance of new permits throughout its territory. However, the Energy Regulatory Authority (RAE), continuing its unacceptable practice of ignoring local communities, proceeded to issuance of an electricity generation license in southern Euboea at a 227.7 MW wind farm, which will be implemented by installing these wind turbines in other municipal units in the region, such as Amarynthos, Eretria, Konistra, Kymi, and Dirfya.
Of course, the country’s energy needs must be met through a shift toward Renewable Energy Sources (RES), but Euboea has already been meeting this need for years by installing more than 350 wind turbines in 34 massive wind farms located in southern Euboea.
The protests throughout Greece, including the reactions of local communities, have made it necessary to revise the Special Spatial Plan for Renewable Energy Sources. To fulfill this obligation, the RAE has resorted to tactics that provoke local communities both because they disregard them and because serve specific interests.
What did she do in Euboea? She drew up a map all by herself, geoinformation It named the map, which shows the density of installed and approved wind farms, as well as those it proposes by Regional Unit. It then converted this map into a Special Spatial Plan for Renewable Energy Sources in Euboea.
The worst part of all, however, is that it wasn’t the organization itself that measured the wind potential at the locations it proposes, but the investor—and what’s more, this map can be continuously updated, depending on requests. In other words, simply put All of this took place without the involvement of local communities and local and regional governments and for the benefit of the pre-selected interests.
There is also another very serious reason for the reaction, especially among the residents of Municipality of Kymi-Aliveri and it is their exclusion from the Just Transition Fund for the post-lignite era, on the grounds that they went through this phase earlier than the regions of Western Macedonia and Megalopolis in Arcadia, which have now been included because they will begin the phase-out of lignite next year. And because this specific Fund will also support renewable energy plants to meet our country’s future needs, power plants with a capacity of up to 10 gigawatts can be installed in these regions.
The view that the installation of these units will create jobs certainly cannot hold water, since all components will be imported ready-made and the total installation time will not exceed 2 to 3 years. Nor, of course, will it appease residents who object to the fees paid—1.7% of turnover to local communities and 1% to residential consumers, for which the Municipality of Karystou It is persistently calling on existing, both old and new wind farms, to increase payments by 1% to both the communities and the residents, meaning that the total compensation fees would reach 5%.
For Euboea, however, the justification for this response is further supported by the immense environmental significance of its natural surroundings. It is the most fundamental tool for its productive reconstruction through linking the agri-food sector with the agritourism sector.
So, the view that has now become firmly established is that Euboea will not grant any additional permits for wind farms.
