With the participation of the mayor of Kythira, Efstratios Charhalakis, a teleconference was held on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, on the burning issue of wind turbines. The resolution, which will be submitted to the Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostis Hatzidakis, emphasizes the need to develop a comprehensive national energy strategy that takes into account the carrying capacity of a region and considers the balance between energy benefits and environmental impact.
The Network of Mayors Against Wind Turbines consists of the mayors of Kythira, Saronic, Lavreotiki, Agrafa, Lake Plastira, Skyros, Tinos, Andros, Agios Vasileios Rethymno, Astypalaia, Milos, Naxos, Paros, Sikinos, Folegandros, Amorgos, Meteora, South Pelion, as well as its president Community of Monemvasia.
The resolution in detail:
«The Network of Mayors Against Wind Turbines is constantly expanding its capacity with the participation of mayors from all over Greece, who are facing the threat of the widespread installation of giant wind turbines on islands and in important mountain ranges.
Yesterday, November 10, we all held a teleconference with the participation and support of the President of KEDE, Dimitris Papastergiou, agreeing in principle that, in the context of climate change, a national energy plan that makes use of renewable energy sources is necessary.
However, we believe that the central administration proceeded with the development and installation of wind turbines without a comprehensive energy strategy based on actual energy needs and rational spatial planning, the protection of our unique identity, and the economic, cultural, and environmental reality of our municipalities.
Furthermore, these fragmented, irrational, and large-scale interventions have been attempted or are being attempted in our municipalities, ignoring or even circumventing municipal council decisions, without any prior consultation with municipal authorities and forcing local communities to consent and often comply with choices that have a heavy economic, social, and environmental cost.
In this context, we believe that in order to break the current deadlock, it is necessary to cultivate fertile ground for constructive dialogue between municipalities and central government, so that reliable and well-documented proposals can be sought in an environment of transparency and democracy.
In any case, the crucial task is to develop a comprehensive spatial plan that will form a structured and integrated national energy strategy, taking into account the following critical parameters:
– The specific historical, cultural, and aesthetic characteristics of the landscapes of our municipalities
– The carrying capacity of our regions, many of which are oversaturated
– The balance between small energy gains and major environmental damage
The network of mayors is an independent entity, outside and beyond party lines, with the clear goal and orientation of preventing the uncontrolled, anarchic, and oversized installation of wind turbines in our municipalities, using all tools to protect the added value of our localities, to contribute to the drafting of an environmentally sustainable proposal, to connect with each other and with the European Network, to coordinate our actions and, ultimately, to connect the prevailing will of our local communities.
