Residents of Čaková in Czechia to decide in referendum on six wind turbines

Residents of Čaková in the Bruntál region will decide in a referendum whether they support the construction of six wind turbines in the municipality. Opponents of the project are concerned about noise. They also object to the size of the planned turbines. Supporters, by contrast, point to the economic benefits for the municipality and its residents. Petr Náhlý, mayor of Čaková (Šance na změnu), told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today. The referendum will be held in the municipality alongside elections to the Chamber of Deputies on 3 and 4 October.

According to the mayor, the construction of wind turbines around Čaková has been discussed for ten years. The idea came from the municipality’s leadership at the time, which wanted to build its own turbines. However, the building authority rejected the project because of its impact on the landscape. A private investor now wants to build the turbines.

"Three are to be built on municipal land. Three on private land," the mayor said.

He added that, under the project, the investor wants to build what would be the tallest wind turbines in Czechia. "There are none like them anywhere. The tower is to be 180 metres tall. The rotor blade will reach a height of 250 metres at its highest point. The capacity is to be seven megawatts," Náhlý said, adding that the final height and capacity of the planned turbines will be determined during the permitting process.

And their size is one of the arguments raised by opponents. "They don’t want turbines this tall. They ask why smaller ones can’t be built. They are also concerned about increased noise," he said. Supporters of the project, on the other hand, cite its economic benefits for the municipality and its residents. The turbines are expected to bring Čaková, which has 340 residents and a budget of ten million crowns, ten million crowns a year for its budget. The town hall would distribute three million of that among residents. An average family of two adults and one child could receive 20.000 to 28.000 crowns a year. The mayor would like to use the remaining money for municipal development and investment. "Our annual budget for investment is only 1,5 million crowns. With an amount like this, we could kick-start the development of the municipality," he explained.

He cannot predict how the referendum will turn out. He expects the result to be close. "Opinion in the municipality is about 50–50," he added, noting that holding the referendum fulfils a campaign promise made by his group. "Our programme said that if this issue came up again, we would let residents decide," he concluded.