Residents of Vřesina in Czechia reject solar power plant project in referendum

Residents of Vřesina in the Opava region today rejected a planned solar power plant project near the village in a referendum. Energy company ČEZ wanted to build it on private land there. Bohuslava Krupová, mayor of the village of 1,700 residents, told the Czech News Agency today.

Of the 1,300 people eligible to vote in Vřesina, 555 took part. They were deciding whether the municipal leadership should amend the zoning plan to allow the plant to be built. A total of 343 voters opposed the zoning plan amendment. „The referendum is valid. Its result is binding on the council. We must act accordingly from now on and reject the request to amend the zoning plan,“ she said.

ČEZ wanted to build the plant on a 122,000-square-metre private plot, roughly the size of 16 football pitches. The project envisaged a temporary installation for 30 years. No concrete was to be used in the construction; the panels were to be secured to posts drilled into the ground.

The company had promised an annual payment of 215,000 crowns for 30 years, starting once the plant received final approval. The total was to exceed six million crowns. The mayor said this would not be a major loss. „If you look at 6.5 million over 30 years, it isn’t that much money. I’m not disappointed. I’m glad the residents have had their say,“ she said.