Blades must be removed from turbines at Aidu wind farm 

The Consumer Protection and Technical Surveillance Authority (TTJA) on Monday ordered Andres and Oleg Sõnajalg, of Eleon Green OÜ, to remove blades from a wind turbine erected in Aidu Wind Park, which disrupts the operation of the national defense early warning system.

Since March 2019, the TTJA has conducted a monitoring procedure of Eleon Green OÜ at Aidu Wind Park. It has analyzed the impact assessments of the wind turbines provided by the developer, considered compromise proposals and repeatedly reviewed the threat assessments held by the Ministry of Defense.

Ensuring the operational capability of national defense early warning systems remains critical to the functioning of the Defense Forces’ early warning system, the agency said.

Kati Tamtik, head of TTJA’s construction department, said: “It has become clear during the proceedings that the threat to national security is real and has already materialized, the wind turbines erected in the Aidu wind farm interfere with the work of national early warning systems and it will take several years to purchase an additional radar. Since national security is a priority and no solution proposed by the developer today eliminates the threat to national security, the blades of windmill # 5 must be removed.”

TTJA has been in close contact with Eleon Green OÜ during the proceedings and, at the request of the developer, has allowed only work to ensure the safety of wind turbines during the construction ban.

Tamtik said: “The TTJA has been continuously assessing the situation on the spot and, unfortunately, has noticed that despite the TTJA’s ban on construction activities, additional warnings and the imposition of a penalty payment, the developer has continued construction work during the building ban.”

In addition, signs indicate the developer is preparing for the launch of the wind turbine, Tamtik said.

On September 10 last year, the TTJA issued a precept prohibiting the construction of wind turbines No. 4 and 5 at Aidu wind farm. The developer appealed the injunction in court, but at a hearing on February 3 this year, Eleon Green OÜ withdrew the complaint. This means the earlier injunction to suspend construction activity by the TTJA was valid and can no longer be challenged.

Monday’s injunction continues to prohibit the construction of Aidu wind turbines no. 4 and 5.

TTJA’s director Kaur Kajak said: “It is the task of government agencies to protect the interests of the state and, in this situation, the construction of wind turbines jeopardizes national security. The role of the TTJA as a safety authority is to intervene in such a situation.”

The plan for Aidu wind farm was to erect V112 wind turbines up to 185 meters high from the ground, on the approval of the Ministry of Defense. Plans were halted after the developer built wind turbines to a hight of 200 meters high. The turbines were the required hight but they were built on platforms which were approximately 20 meters high. So the developer does not have proper documentation.

Windmill Nos. 4 and 5 are 220 meters above the ground, according to the TTJA. The planned wind farm is within the area of the national defense early warning systems and so the parameters allowed for wind turbines are crucial, the TTJA said in a statement.

In addition, the TTJA has established that the wind turbines erected do not comply with the design documentation on which they were built.