“Like a fist in the eye,” says mayor. Czech town of Trhový Štěpánov opposes wind turbine plan

Trhový Štěpánov, in the Benešov area, opposes the new designation of so-called acceleration zones for faster construction of wind farms. It objects to the possibility that future wind turbines could disrupt views of Mount Blaník. The town’s leadership wants to meet with mayors of other nearby towns and agree on a joint approach, Trhový Štěpánov Mayor Josef Korn (Firefighters of Trhový Štěpánov) told the Czech News Agency today.

Acceleration zones are administratively designated areas in Czechia where permitting for renewable energy projects, especially wind and solar power plants, is intended to be faster and simpler. The Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) reduced the number of areas designated for faster construction of wind or solar power plants to 61. Of these, 46 areas remained unchanged and another 15 were reduced in size. There were originally 110 zones.

"They have trimmed it back a bit, but the main burden we face—on the western side, where it will be in full view and disrupt our views of Blaník—has remained. The area to the north by the motorway is something else, but here it sticks out like a fist in the eye," Korn said of the new designation of the zones.

He wants to agree with the mayors of other towns and lawyers on how to proceed.

In Central Bohemia, the acceleration zone for solar power generation is in Milovice, in the Nymburk area. Zones for wind farms are in Trhový Štěpánov, Petroupim and Neveklov in the Benešov area, Chorušice in the Mělník area, and Boreč in the Mladá Boleslav area. The areas of Doubravice, Oleška, Nový Dvůr and Ralsko were dropped from the original proposal.

The Ministry of the Environment has pointed out that designating the zones does not mean that wind turbines or solar farms will be built in the designated locations, or that they cannot be built elsewhere. The restrictions form part of the SEA opinion on the environmental impact assessment of the acceleration zones. The Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) will now have to incorporate the opinion’s conditions into a draft amendment to the spatial development plan. The MMR is expected to submit the final document to the government by the end of July.

Opponents of wind farms cite their impact on the landscape or concerns about noise. Towns and their residents, on the other hand, may benefit from cheaper electricity tariffs thanks to the power plants. There is currently only one wind farm in the Central Bohemian Region, near Pchery in the Kladno area. It consists of two turbines with a combined capacity of six megawatts and has been in operation since 2008.