Czech region of Vysočina rejects all 14 zones for faster wind farm construction

The leadership of the Vysočina Region fundamentally objects to all 14 proposed areas where permitting for wind farms would be made easier. Governor Martin Kukla (ANO) told journalists about the regional council’s position, adopted today, which it will send to the Ministry of Regional Development. He said the acceleration zones conflict with the region’s strategic and planning documents, particularly its strategy for protecting landscape character, and that the region has received many negative comments from residents and municipalities.

"The acceleration zones restrict and disadvantage the designated areas for tourism" the governor said.

He added that the zones would also lower property prices and could conflict with development plans by the region and municipalities. "We’ve received dozens, maybe hundreds, of comments from residents and municipalities. I get these comments by SMS; people call me," he said.

In a proposal published by the Ministry of Regional Development in mid-April, there are 14 acceleration zones in the Vysočina Region, affecting the territories of dozens of municipalities. Four zones extend into the South Bohemian Region. According to the region’s calculations, a total of 282 wind turbines are proposed in these zones in Vysočina. No acceleration zones have been designated in Vysočina for solar power generation.

The governor said that designating an acceleration zone would mean faster construction of wind farms, with no opportunity for residents and representatives from the area to comment. "And that is definitely not what we want in the Vysočina Region," he said. He added that wind turbines can otherwise be built anywhere, but they must go through the full legislative process.

According to the governor, it is not true that the region does not support renewable energy sources. He said it is gradually building solar power plants on its own properties where the roofs are suitable. "Our goal is to consume the electricity produced at the location where it is generated," he said. He noted that the region has around 120 small hydropower plants and 70 biogas plants, and that over the past three years the region has commented on plans for solar power plants with a total installed capacity of around 153 megawatts (MW).

According to a document discussed by the regional council, the Vysočina Region already contributes sufficiently to the burden created by power plant installations. The governor also pointed to the Dukovany nuclear power plant and the planned construction of two new units at Dukovany.

There are seven wind turbines in the Vysočina Region, near three municipalities; the last two were built in 2009 near Věžnice in the Havlíčkův Brod district. Recently, investors have approached many municipalities in the region with plans to build wind turbines. In some places, residents rejected the projects in local referendums. Other municipalities are open to construction because of the promised financial benefits.