Czech village Jívová receives first million from wind turbines

The village of Jívová in the Olomouc region has received its first million crowns in revenue from the operation of five wind turbines, which have been running since the beginning of last year. Over their planned lifetime, Jívová is to receive at least 25 million crowns from the operator. The village, which has more than 600 residents and an annual budget of around 17 million crowns, will use the money to repay a loan for a sewer system and wastewater treatment plant, and then for further investment. Mayor Jan Pewner (Everything for Jívová) told ČTK.

Preparations for the construction of five wind turbines near Jívová took more than 15 years due to appeals against decisions by authorities and lawsuits. The turbines have a combined capacity of ten megawatts (MW). The nearest is less than a kilometre from built-up areas, with a blade reaching a height of 135 metres at its highest point. The turbines were built without a local referendum. However, some Jívová residents were concerned about increased noise and the negative impact of the turbines on the landscape, tourism and property prices.

"We agreed with the investor that it would pay us 90,000 crowns for each installed MW. For the first year of trial operation of the wind turbines, we were therefore to receive a total of 900,000 crowns; in the end, we received 1.017 million crowns," Pewner said.

The contract includes an inflation clause, so payments to the village should also rise with inflation in the coming years. "We still have ten million crowns left to repay on the sewer-system loan. We will then use this regular income for further investment in the village," Pewner said.

Planned investments include repairs to local roads and municipal buildings, as well as utility connections for plots intended for family homes. "We also need to repair two bridges, each of which will cost seven million crowns," Pewner noted. According to the mayor, it is good that Jívová reached an agreement with the investor and that five turbines are generating electricity in its cadastral area. "If they stood in the neighbouring municipality of Hraniční Petrovice, we would still have to look at them, but the village would not get a single crown from their operation," Pewner noted.

According to the mayor, most Jívová residents have already become accustomed to the five wind turbines on their doorstep. "Some complain that they can hear them. That can happen sometimes, but the company had to meet strict hygiene standards, including those concerning noise from turbine operation," the mayor said. Investors focused on wind power are still eyeing Jívová and nearby municipalities. "We were recently approached by a company offering smaller wind turbines, which do not have as much impact on the landscape as large turbines. I replied that, given the approaching elections, this is not a current issue for the village. We will see who is here after the elections. In any case, I think it will not be a matter for just one electoral term," the mayor said.

Jívová is on the list of acceleration zones presented by the Ministry for Regional Development this week. According to the mayor, preparations for wind turbine construction may indeed be accelerated in these zones, but people will want to decide on such projects in local referendums. "As a citizen, I have nothing against wind turbines. Everyone has to contribute something to the common pot. In some places they mine coal, elsewhere they have nuclear power plants, and in others there are landfills. Well, here we have wind turbines," Pewner added.

Investors are preparing wind turbine projects at several locations in the Olomouc region, but in some places they face opposition from some residents. Last October, referendums on planned wind turbine construction were held in the municipalities of Bernartice, Kobylá nad Vidnavkou and Velká Kraš in the Jeseník area, as well as in Domašov near Šternberk, close to Olomouc. Only the referendum in Domašov supported the turbines; people in the other three municipalities voted against them. At the end of February this year, residents of Hynčina in the Šumperk area also rejected wind turbine construction.