Residents of Počátky, Czechia, reject wind farm construction in referendum

Residents of the town of Počátky in the Pelhřimov District, with 2,000 eligible voters, rejected the construction of wind farms at the Jakubínská site by a majority. In today’s local referendum, 200 people voted in favour of construction, while 514 voted against. The referendum is valid and binding. Today, residents also voted on whether the town should discuss building wind farms at other sites in the town. The referendum on this question is invalid because of low turnout. The figures were published on the official noticeboard.

The referendum was called by opponents of wind farm construction, which the town had been discussing with an investor for several years. They argued primarily for the protection of the landscape. They wanted residents to say whether they agreed that the town council, acting within the municipality’s independent jurisdiction, should take steps towards building wind farms in the cadastral area of Počátky and its local parts of Heřmaneč, Horní Vilímeč, Léskovec, Prostý and Vesce. 148 people answered yes to this question, while 544 voted against. For a local referendum decision to be valid, turnout must be at least 35 per cent of eligible voters, but turnout on this question was 34.85 per cent.

The town council expanded the referendum to include the question of whether residents agreed with building wind farms at the Jakubínská site, which lies in the cadastral area of Počátky, beyond Strážný Hill in the direction of the village of Jakubín, in return for financial benefits for the town. According to the town’s mayor, Karel Štefl, the town could have received more than one million crowns a year from each turbine. Three or four could have been built.

Voters were given two questions and two separate envelopes at the polling station. They could answer both questions or just one.

W.E.B. had sought to build wind farms in Počátky, partly because of the proximity of a substation that also has spare capacity to connect new power sources. The company had previously conducted a public survey, in which 60 of the 135 respondents supported building the wind farms.

A local referendum decision is binding if it is supported by a majority of eligible voters who take part in the referendum and by at least 25 per cent of all eligible voters.