HN: ČEZ plans to build a wind farm of up to 115 MW in Ralsko, Czechia

ČEZ PV & Wind is preparing to build a wind farm with a total installed capacity of up to 115 megawatts (MW) in the former Ralsko military area in the Česká Lípa region. The project, which is undergoing an environmental impact assessment (EIA), would become the largest wind farm in the country, today’s Hospodářské noviny (HN) reported. At the end of last year, wind farms in Czechia had a total installed capacity of 352 MW.

The Liberec Region has two decades of experience with wind power. The oldest project is the pair of municipal wind turbines in Jindřichovice pod Smrkem, connected to the grid in 2003. The region ranks third in Czechia by number of turbines, with 31 wind towers at seven sites around Hrádek nad Nisou and in the Frýdlant area. According to the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), the facilities, with a total installed capacity of 49 megawatts, supplied almost 111 gigawatt-hours of electricity to the grid last year.

The largest wind farm in the region so far is JRD Group’s project in Hrádek nad Nisou, with 13 turbines and an installed capacity of more than 26 MW. The company plans to add another six. W.E.B Větrná energie plans to build seven turbines in the Dolní Řasnice and Krásný Les areas of the Liberec region. A further turbine is under consideration in Jindřichovice pod Smrkem, with the decision to be put to a referendum. Beneš Energo plans to build a turbine in Košťálov in the Semily region, while proposals for turbines are also being discussed in Brniště and nearby municipalities in the Česká Lípa region.

The Ralsko project envisages the construction of 16 wind turbines, up to 166 metres tall, with rotor diameters of up to 163 metres and a total height of up to 250 metres, in the Svébořice and Náhlov areas. Each turbine is expected to have a capacity of between 5,56 and 7,2 MW, giving the wind farm a total installed capacity of between 88,96 and 115,2 megawatts. Once completed, the entire wind farm could generate as much electricity annually as would otherwise be produced by burning around 200.000 tonnes of brown coal.

ČEZ operates solar power plants at five sites in the Ralsko area, with a total capacity of 56 MW. The new proposal comes as a surprise to Ralsko residents. “There will certainly be a public hearing. The public will have the opportunity to say whether they want wind turbines here or not. We will decide how to proceed with the proposal on that basis,” Ralsko Mayor Miloslav Tůma (ANO) told the newspaper. Given the area’s low population density, he believes the wind farm may not bother local residents.

Many similar projects in Czechia have foundered because of opposition from residents. “We certainly won’t force the wind farm through. We are preparing it with the knowledge of the town of Ralsko, to which we have presented initial proposals, and we are continuing discussions. The process is at an early stage,” ČEZ Group spokesperson Martin Schreier told HN. ČEZ plans to offer residents of neighbouring municipalities benefits in the form of support for community projects. It expects construction to begin in March 2007, with completion two years later.

The 250-square-kilometre Ralsko area was used by the Soviet army until the early 1990s, although it had already served military purposes in the first half of the last century. It is one of the most heavily contaminated areas in the country as a result of the Soviet military presence, and clean-up cost more than half a billion crowns. Despite the area’s military past, it is home to unspoilt nature and a number of natural monuments. Part of the area has belonged to the Liberec Region since 2007, and the region is planning a photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of up to 100 megawatts at the former Hradčany airfield.