Plzeň Region in Czechia to get a study in November showing where wind turbines could be built

The Plzeň Region has commissioned a spatial planning study that will show which parts of the region could host wind and solar power plants. It will be completed by mid-November this year. The region will then use it to update its regional spatial development plan, known as the Principles of Spatial Development. Jan Kroupar, head of the regional nature conservation department, told the Czech News Agency (ČTK).

“The analytical part should be completed by the end of August, and the contractor will submit the completed study in mid-November this year,” he said.

The document will only delineate the areas. The update to the Principles of Spatial Development will begin afterwards, Kroupar said.

The Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) is designating so-called acceleration zones across the Czech Republic—areas where authorities would approve wind and solar power plants under a simplified process, which is intended to cut the permitting time for wind turbines from ten years to as little as one. The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill to speed up the use of renewable energy sources at its first reading on 3 June. Zones for solar power are to be established mainly on former industrial sites, while the government will still discuss locations for wind power plants with the regions. The bill introduces payments from wind turbines to municipalities.

The region wants to persuade the MŽP to consult with it on the acceleration zones proposed by the state. “And, if necessary, to replace across the board those that do not meet the region’s requirements with locations that have been discussed here and found to be acceptable. If the region assesses them responsibly, there will certainly be locations here where wind turbines can be installed,” Kroupar said. In May, the region asked all 501 municipalities to tell it whether they had already held talks with investors and which locations they wanted to protect.

The Ministry of the Environment has marked areas in northern and southern Plzeň and around Horažďovice on a preliminary map. “This is only an informal proposal presented by the ministry, and its form will certainly change,” Kroupar said. The suitability of areas along the central axis of the Plzeň Region is indicated, for example, by objective factors such as wind speeds and terrain morphology, he said. The region wants to exclude the area in northern Plzeň around Mariánská Týnice, with its Baroque landscape, as well as nearby Manětínsko and the Hořažďovická pahorkatina Nature Park. According to Kroupar, these areas could be replaced by others, such as the area around Zhoř in the Tachov district, where municipalities support the construction of six wind turbines.

According to Kroupar, the EU’s RED III directive on promoting and developing renewable energy sets a deadline of 21 February 2026 for designating acceleration zones. “Our study will only delineate the areas. But if it is subsequently incorporated into the regional Principles of Spatial Development, that will only happen as part of an update during 2026. So it will not be completed by February 2026,” he said.

It is not yet clear who will give final approval to the acceleration zones, Kroupar said. “It will depend on the level at which they are designated. If they are designated under the Spatial Development Policy, it will be the government. If they are designated as part of the Principles of Spatial Development, it will be the regional assembly together with the municipalities,” he said. The Plzeň Region would like the regions to designate the acceleration zones. “Because they are best placed to assess the territory, local sentiment and the approach of local governments,” he said. Areas for wind power are to be designated as a priority.

Zones for photovoltaic power plants will probably be addressed only in a later phase, Kroupar said. The Plzeň Region wants solar power plants to be built mainly on the roofs of large industrial buildings and in built-up areas of municipalities, but opposes large-scale use of undeveloped land. Municipalities should decide on solar installations of up to three to five hectares. Hydropower plants are not included in the bill.

Under the MŽP’s plan, the Czech Republic is expected to add 200 wind turbines by 2030 to the roughly 100 currently in operation, including 24 in the Plzeň Region. There are currently three wind turbines in the region. Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) said in Plzeň late last year that the region had significant wind power potential and could host dozens of turbines.