Of the 21 referendums on wind turbines held over the past election weekend, only one came out in favor of building them—and even then, by a narrow majority. Industry experts say the reasons include the lack of transparency around the designation of acceleration zones, whose original purpose was, in fact, to speed up the development of renewable energy sources in Czechia.
Alongside this year’s municipal elections, a record number of referendums on wind turbines were held across the Czech Republic. There is room to expand wind power in the country. At present, it makes up just under one percent of the energy mix. And although long-term surveys show that Czechs want wind turbines, they oppose them when a specific site is proposed near their municipality.
“I have to admit that the referendum results didn’t surprise me,” says Štěpán Chalupa, chair of the Chamber of Renewable Energy Sources. “The whole situation around wind turbines in Czechia has been shaped by the lack of transparency in designating acceleration zones and heightened emotions, which have created fertile ground for disinformation to flourish. Deliberate populist politicization of the issue has added to this. And mainstream politicians and mayors have started to shy away from the topic,” Chalupa says.
According to Chalupa, some companies’ heavy-handed approach to communicating with municipalities has also hurt the prospects for wind turbines. “Some mayors have told me that they have a project and want to reach an agreement with one developer, but then another comes along, asks them to sign some kind of planning agreement and threatens them: ‘Well, if you won’t sign, we’ll get an acceleration zone set up here.’ That certainly doesn’t encourage a positive attitude toward wind power,” Chalupa says.
“The referendums were badly affected by three quarters of a year of fearmongering, during which various interest groups in the Czech Republic tried to exploit the issue politically and spread rumors that were not based on fact. It’s understandable that local residents are concerned,” says Martin Sedlák, program director at the Modern Energy Union. He also sees a problem in the lack of strategic communication from the state.
“Compare this with Poland. Polish government representatives say openly that renewable energy sources are the answer to Poland’s energy security needs, and this is reflected in public attitudes toward wind turbines. There is a big difference between how successfully similar solutions are being developed in Poland and how things are turning out here,” Sedlák says.
What Czech politicians have to say
According to Sedlák, Czechia lacks an authority that could help move the debate away from rumors and toward a genuine discussion of the benefits and drawbacks for a particular municipality. “The state should ask itself whether it can really do without strategic communication. Today, wind turbines have taken the hit; in a few years, it could be data centers or even new reactors,” the program director warns.
Representatives of the Czech government have generally taken a lukewarm stance toward wind turbines. Some coalition figures, such as Filip Turek, the government’s Green Deal envoy and honorary president of the Motorists for Themselves party, and Tomio Okamura, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) movement, are outright opponents of wind power.
Over the past year, dozens of events campaigning against wind turbines have also been held, spreading disinformation. Their leading speakers, Hynek Beran, Marek Obrtel and Jaroslav Novák, ran in the Senate elections. It could be said that their campaign against wind turbines was successful.
Disinformation has taken root in municipalities, including claims that wind power plants harm the health of people and animals. The speakers themselves, however, failed to win election. None of them made it to the second round of the Senate elections. “That’s a good sign that, at least at the national level, this kind of fearmongering isn’t working—for now,” Sedlák adds.
The only municipality where local residents supported building wind turbines was Dětřichov in the Svitavy region. The result was close: 50.5 percent voted in favor, while 49.5 percent voted against. One reason a narrow majority eventually backed the plan may be that the municipality of Anenská Studánka is less than twelve kilometers away. It has had six wind turbines for almost twenty years, and local residents have no problem with their operation. Quite the opposite: they are planning further construction.
A study by social geographer Bohumil Frantál of the Institute of Geonics at the Czech Academy of Sciences also suggests that people are more likely to support wind turbines if they already have experience with them. “People gradually get used to wind turbines, just as they do to any other structure. In municipalities where a wind turbine is already operating nearby, residents have more direct experience with them, are less afraid of negative impacts and tend to see the positive benefits,” Frantál said.
Project at an advanced stage
Last week, Ekonews covered the case of the municipality of Kačice in detail. Preparations for the project there are at an advanced stage. Investor NOHO Energy has had a planning agreement with the municipality since 2024, setting out obligations for both the municipality and the investor. Two years ago, the municipality held a poll in which 55.4 percent of voters supported the plan. This time, 59 percent voted against it.
It is unclear what will happen next. In this particular case, the referendum result does not in itself mean the project is definitively over. The question was: “Do you agree that the municipality of Kačice should provide cooperation in the preparation, permitting or construction of wind turbines within its territory?” The fact that a majority of residents voted against means only that the municipal leadership is obliged not to participate actively in preparing and permitting the project.
“We take note of the vote in which Kačice residents decided that their municipality should not provide cooperation with the construction of wind turbines. At the same time, it motivates us to explain the specific benefits of wind power more clearly, especially cheaper energy for households and significant revenue for the municipality. We will continue discussions related to the planning agreement once the new municipal council has been formed,” says NOHO Energy technical director Ondřej Ludvík.
The fact that residents rejected wind turbines in the vast majority of referendums raises another question, according to NOHO project manager Charles Kulček: how will Czechia produce affordable electricity in the future? “Even if coal-fired power generation were extended, it would still only be until new nuclear units are built. And if Czechs are saying no to wind turbines in referendums, they should propose an alternative—or we have to accept that electricity prices will rise and we’ll pay much more for it than we do now,” Kulček says.
“If a municipality has a planning agreement with an investor, there could be a legal dispute, or they might reach an agreement—we’ll see. It’s far too early to judge how this will turn out. It will depend on the position of the new municipal council,” says Martin Sedlák of the Modern Energy Union.
