Czech Vintířov against wind turbines: Mayor rejects zone ‘drawn up in Prague’

The proposed acceleration zone for the construction of wind turbines near Vintířov in the Sokolov region is ill-conceived and was not agreed with the municipality or landowners, according to Mayor Marek Choc (independent). The owner of most of the land, Sokolovská uhelná, would also prefer other sites and, above all, a discussion on the delineation of the zones, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) has learned. Environment Minister Igor Červený (Motorists) told ČTK that the zone is merely a proposal that may change following comments.

Under the government’s plan, four so-called acceleration zones could be created in the Karlovy Vary Region, where it would be easier to build solar or wind power plants. Three of them are located at former coal mining sites, according to the proposal.

The area between Vintířov and Královské Poříčí is not suitable for wind turbine construction because it is next to the still-active Jiří open-cast mine, according to the mayor. "No one approached us; the gentlemen at the top simply drew it up," Choc said. "We had always been assured that flooding the mine was planned after mining ends. We are not generally opposed to wind turbines, but not at this location. With a little imagination, I could envisage, for example, floating solar panels on the surface of a lake here, but not wind turbines. They generally require solid foundations, which may not be easy at the site of a mine or spoil heap," Choc told ČTK. If the municipality is asked for its opinion, it will oppose the plan, he added.

Acceleration areas or zones are sites designated by the state where investors will have an easier permitting process for power plants. In the Karlovy Vary Region, the state has provisionally designated two zones for wind power plants, near Nový Kostel in the Cheb region and near Vintířov. Solar power plants could in turn be built in the Podkrušnohorská spoil heap area between Dolní Nivy and Lomnice in the Sokolov region, and in Březová, at the Silvestr tailings pond. Apart from Nový Kostel, these are Sokolovská uhelná sites where coal was mined or which were otherwise affected by coal mining.

Sokolovská uhelná is also dissatisfied with the delineation of the sites. "We do not know on what basis the final form of the acceleration areas was determined, because we, on behalf of the Sokolovská uhelná and SUAS GROUP group, identified other sites that we consider more suitable. We would like these proposed zones to be discussed further and their location brought closer to the existing infrastructure we have in the area. Among other things, this would significantly reduce investment costs," Pavel Tomek, chairman of the supervisory boards of Sokolovská uhelná and SUAS GROUP, told ČTK.

"The draft Amendment No. 2 to the Spatial Development Plan is a version intended for discussion; it is not the final version," Minister Červený told ČTK today through Kateřina Pacíková, deputy spokeswoman for the ministry.

According to Červený, the relevant authorities and regions will now comment on the proposal, while the public may also submit comments. "The comments will be addressed and, on their basis, the proposal for individual areas may be amended, reduced, or some disputed areas may be removed entirely," the minister said.

The situation is somewhat different at Nový Kostel in the Cheb region, where four large wind turbines are already standing. According to Mayor Gabriela Mlezivová (independent), the previous municipal council had already expressed its approval of plans to build new wind power plants. "According to the preliminary plan, up to 11 new wind turbines were to be built here. But this has gradually been scaled back, and now there is talk of about half that number. But until we have anything on paper, it is only a plan," the mayor of Nový Kostel told ČTK. If the plan moves forward, the municipality will at least negotiate the best possible terms, she said.

It is customary for investors to make regular payments to municipalities in return for permission to site wind turbines, or to promise cheaper electricity. Especially for small municipalities, this is often a significant source of budget revenue.