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Wind Power News: Greece
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission to provide information about industrial wind energy development to readers seeking such information. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the credited organizations or individuals and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
Nationwide investigation launched into wind farms after major wildfire
Greek fire investigators have launched a nationwide investigation into wind farm installations following a prosecutor’s order issued in connection with the major wildfire that began in Boeotia and spread into western Attica. The Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes has been instructed to examine whether wind energy facilities across the country are operating with the required permits and whether they comply with technical standards for installation, maintenance and operation. The investigation was prompted by the recent Attica-Boeotia wildfire, which authorities say . . . Complete story »
Resolution against the installation of wind turbines in Halkidiki
By unanimous decision, the Sithonia Municipal Council approved a resolution expressing its opposition to plans for the installation of wind farms in Halkidiki, placing at the center the impacts on the natural environment, the local economy, and the region’s tourism. The resolution was adopted during a regular session of the Municipal Council and concerns the broader energy planning being promoted in mountainous and environmentally sensitive zones of the prefecture. According to the decision, the Municipality stresses that, without rejecting Renewable . . . Complete story »
Greek environmentalists say wind farms threaten brown bears
Greece’s push for alternative and sustainable energy sources will bring more wind farms but environmentalist groups Arcturos and Callisto said the sites could risk the habitats of brown bears and were not considered by the Environment Ministry. The organizations said the ministry instead has intervened in a national action plan for the brown bear, developed under the European Union’s LIFE program by removing references to the impact of the farms where the animals live. They also said that proposals to . . . Complete story »
Greece suspends three wind projects over biodiversity concerns
Greece’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy has revoked the environmental licenses for three wind power projects in region of Thrace following an appeal by three environmental organizations. The environmentalists are now calling on the ministry to suspend wind power projects in the areas affected by the 2023 wildfires, as well as neighboring areas, in order to preserve sensitive protected bird populations. In their appeal, the Hellenic Ornithological Society, the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace, and WWF . . . Complete story »
Breeze or burden? Locals fear wind farm impact on wild forests
In the Mavri Petra (Black Stone) area of northern Evros, near Greece’s border with Bulgaria, two wind farms have been approved for construction. The local community, which has cultivated ecotourism with hiking trails and nature-based activities, fears the disruption these developments could bring. Local activist and biodiversity advocate Theodoros Manousidis explained that these areas have become key for alternative tourism, especially around the picturesque village of Petrota. However, with the construction of the wind farms, residents worry about the environmental . . . Complete story »
Environmental organizations demand halt to wind farm construction in northern Greece
The environmental organizations Arcturos, the Hellenic Ornithological Society, and Callisto are demanding that the wind farm construction in the Doukas area of the municipalities of Kastoria and Amyntaion in northern Greece be halted, as it violates a resolution by Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court. At the same time, they request that the Decentralized Administration of Epirus and Western Macedonia and the Greek Public Power Company “follow the ruling of the judiciary and cease the construction work at . . . Complete story »
Greece’s proliferation of wind farms is coming up against local resistance
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis underlined his government’s renewable energy ambitions. “We hope that in the medium term, Greece will become a green energy exporter. We want to exploit wind energy, with a focus on the Aegean,” he declared in mid-January. Athens has pledged to invest a third of the €31 billion or so of the post-Covid-19 European recovery plan toward the fight against climate change. A large portion will be devoted . . . Complete story »
Cretan hoteliers united against offshore wind farms
The state’s proposal to place offshore wind farms off Crete has united the island’s hoteliers in support of the preservation of the natural and manmade landscape. More specifically, the Lasithi Hoteliers Association expressed strong opposition to the project and all indications are that the case will eventually be taken to the Supreme Court of Cassation (the higher judicial body with power to try cases contested by the Court of Appeals). Objections against offshore wind farms have also been raised elsewhere. . . . Complete story »
Birds and bats killed by wind turbines in Thrace now recorded in a database
Since 2008, when the first systematic survey for dead birds and bats in the Wind Farms of Evros and Rhodope was carried out by WWF Greece (lasted two years), until 2023, 563 incidents of birds and bats colliding with wind turbines in Evros and Rhodope (276 currently operating) have been recorded. Of the 563 total incidents, 292 (52%) have been found during the systematic survey by WWF Greece in a period of only two years (2008-2010) and in only some . . . Complete story »
Another cinereous vulture recorded as victim of wind turbines in Thrace-Greece
On April 30, a cinereous vulture flying in a mountainous area of the Greek Rhodope Mountain collided with a wind turbine in the “Filiouri Valley” Important Bird Area. The cinereous vulture was found thanks to the satellite transmitter and immediately the staff of the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace (SPBT) rushed to the area with the assistance of the Management Unit of the Evros Delta and Dadia National Parks of NECCA and the Forestry Service. The unfortunate . . . Complete story »
