They have no shame! Even on top of a reforestation area in the burnt forest, they want to install wind turbines!

They have no shame! Even on top of a reforestation area in the burnt forest, they want to install wind turbines!

Wind energy investors assault restoration efforts in the burnt forest in Evros, Greece

It's not just one or two, but 217 wind turbines that the Danish wind energy company EUROPEAN WIND FARMS is planning to install in Evros, with nearly half of them, 91 wind turbines, in the area that was burned by the devastating fire in 2023. The other 126 are planned in areas that are vital for the conservation of protected species and habitats, especially after the damage caused by the fire. The wind farm company is disregarding even the approved Special Environmental Study for Evros and Rodopi, as they plan to install most of the wind turbines within Nature Protection Zones, where the installation of wind turbines is not allowed!

What is the icing on the cake? The same company requests permit for a wind farm at the location "AMPELIA 2", near the village of Melia, (Municipality of Alexandroupolis), right on top of a burnt area where reforestation is ongoing since the winter of 2024, and 48,000 tree seedlings have been planted! This is the only area that was selected for immediate reforestation by the study on the restoration of the burnt areas of Evros, because it had been burned multiple times in the past. Now is in danger of being destroyed by the installation of wind turbines, which, instead of promoting green development, are actually hindering the restoration of the ecosystems in the burnt area, basically canceling out the actions taken for this purpose.

This terrible confusion could have been avoided if the Ministry of Environment was not procrastinated on taking immediate and concrete legislative measures to regulate the licensing of wind farms in Evros and Rodopi after the 2023 fire. The Ministry just announced restrictions, without any legal basis, even though it already has all the information/data needed to ensure (by legislation) the restoration of the burnt natural ecosystems against threats such as wind farms. This includes:

  • the proposal of the nine environmental organisations that was sent to the Ministry in October 2023 and since then there is no response,
  • the study announced by the Ministry that would specify the terms and conditions for the further licensing of wind farms, which was completed in July 2024. Since then, the study remains “buried in the Ministry’s drawers” and was not even sent to the competent authorities

In the meantime, investors keep planning their projects and piling up dozens of applications for environmental permits, which the administration and the competent authorities have to decide on, without any guidance from the Ministry.

More information:

  • On 26 September 2023, the Minister of Environment and Energy announced the suspension of economic activities in the fire-affected area of Evros, however, almost two years later, appropriate and adequate measures have not yet been taken on this issue.The Minister's announcement is available (in Greek) here.
  • On 27 October 2023, nine environmental organisations sent an urgent letter to the Ministry of Environment with specific and well-founded proposals, calling on the Ministry to suspend by legislation for at least three years potentially harmful projects (not beneficial ones) and activities within the burnt areas and, in particular for wind energy projects to suspend them also in the adjacent, bird-critical areas of Evros and Rhodope. The letter is available (in Greek) here.
  • On 6 November 2023, the Minister of Environment, in response to a topical question, announced that science has the first word and that the continuation of environmental licensing in the affected area will be based on a scientific study to be carried out. You can watch the relevant meeting (in Greek) here. NECCA assigned the study to the Natural History Museum of Crete (University of Crete) and it was completed in July 2024, suggesting that wind farms (and other projects) should be suspended in the burnt area and in the neighbouring unburnt areas, which are suitable habitats for birds of prey. To date, the study has not been made available to the public and has not been forwarded to the competent authorities responsible for giving opinion or making decisions on the wind farm permits.
  • The wind farm "AMPELIA 2" includes four wind turbines with a total capacity of 16.8 MW and is planned to be installed approximately 2 km northwest of the village of Melia, in the Municipality of Alexandroupolis. In addition, two other wind farms ("DERVENI" and "ISOMATA 1") owned by the same company (EUROPEAN WIND FARMS) have been submitted for environmental licensing in the burnt area, and the approval or rejection process has not yet been completed. The SPBT has posted a negative opinion in the public consultation for the wind farm's environmental permit. The comments of the SPBT are available here. here.
  • In July 2024, the General Directorate of Forests and Forest Environment of the Ministry of Environment and Energy assigned the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace as the contractor for the restoration and reforestation of the same area where the wind farm is now planned. Based on an approved study, the SPBT is reforesting the area at its own expense. The project began in 2024 and will be completed in 2027, planting trees on an area of 1,146 acres. A total of 47,946 trees were planted between December 2024 and February 2025, in an effort to create a “tall-tree forest” in the future, with a mix of different tree species (oaks, pines, hornbeams, ash trees, maples, and wild cherry trees), which will contribute to simultaneous restoration efforts in burnt areas, the long-term resilience of forest ecosystems, and the conservation of rare birds of prey in the region.