The plenary session of the Hellenic Parliament today discussed the topical question posed by Miltiadis Zambaras, Member of Parliament for Aitoloakarnania representing SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, Miltiadis Zambaras, to the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Nikos Tsafos, on the promotion of three industrial wind farms in Kythira by TERNA Energy.
Mr. Zamparas accused the government of rushing to install 30 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 4.5 MW, in an area of particular ecological value, while the approval of the special environmental study for the protection of Natura 2000 areas is still pending. He also complained that the country has already been condemned by the European Union for the delay in approving these studies.
«Society is in turmoil. Even the local New Democracy organization is reacting to the project,» said the MP, referring to the government's attempt to bypass the prescribed procedures, ignoring local reactions and institutional pending issues. He said that there are ongoing legal appeals by the Municipality of Kythira, the Local Property Committee, and citizens against TERNA, while the company does not even have legal use of the land in the areas provided for in the EIA, as the property belongs to the municipality and its concession has been expressly excluded.
In response, Deputy Minister Tsafos reiterated that the project is still in the public consultation phase and no decision has been made. «No one has given the green light. Public consultation is the forum where the views of society and stakeholders are heard. If what you have said is true, then the process will result in a negative opinion,» said Mr. Tsafos, arguing that the government respects the institutional process and is waiting for it to be completed before proceeding.
However, Mr. Zamparas insisted that the government is using the consultation as a pretext to push ahead with the project before the specific spatial planning frameworks for RES are voted on, with the aim of deregulating all controls. «You are deliberately delaying spatial planning so that the country can be filled with industrial RES without a framework. When that happens, there will be nothing left standing,» he warned.
The issue of wind turbines in Kythira remains unresolved, with the local community, the municipality, and political bodies voicing strong objections and demanding respect for the will of the citizens, spatial planning logic, and environmental protection.
Does Tsafos know where Kythira is located?