filed: July 26, 2010 • Romania

Quarrel and shooting at Cogealac wind farm in Dobrogea

Credit: Romania Business Insider, www.romania-insider.com 26 July 2010 ~~

The wind farm frenzy in Dobrogea has gone wild when five people where shot with rubber bullets on the premises of one of these wind farm projects in the area earlier today. The shooting followed a conflict between the inhabitants and the mayor in Cogealac locality, on one hand, and the body guards protecting the wind farm project which is being built there.

The mayor was planning to fine the company which owns and builds the wind park in Cogealac- Continental Wind Partners and CEZ. However, the body guards who protect the premises have not allowed the mayor’s team to enter the site. It was during the fight when the body guards decided to fire the rubber bullet guns.

The conflict between the mayor and the company which runs the project had been sent to court, and until the court gives a verdict, the mayor cannot issue any fine.

According to Continental Wind Partners previous statements, the Cogealac mayor fails to issue the required permits to consolidate the roads in the region, as it has agreed with and rented land to other investors in wind projects for the area.

The total investments of the CEZ Group in the largest European continental wind farm in the Romanian province Dorbogea will reach EUR 1.1 billion, according to data from CEZ Group. The project is split into two phases in the vicinity of the Fantanele and Cogealac municipalities. The first phase of the project – Fantanele, comprising 139 wind turbines with the total rated capacity of 347.5 MW will be completed during this year. The second phase in the vicinity of Cogealac with the total capacity of 252.5 MW should be commissioned next year. The construction project will thus comprise 240 wind turbines, each with the rated capacity of 2.5 MW. The total rated capacity of the project will reach 600 MW, that is more than double capacity of the currently largest wind farm in Europe (Whitelee, Scotland).

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