Pāvilosta resident: municipality avoids taking a clear stance on wind farm dispute

Latvia's government must deliver its opinion on the “K2 Ventum” wind farm project in Pāvilosta by August 31, yet opinions remain divided both within the cabinet and among local residents.

Gatis Auziņš, a Pāvilosta resident who supports the project, told LA.LV that Latvia should develop its own energy production while the opportunity exists, in order to reduce dependence on external energy sources. He believes public wariness toward such innovations is nothing new, drawing a parallel to the skepticism that once greeted the arrival of electricity.

According to Auziņš, Pāvilosta has for years faced young people leaving and an aging population. He argues the roughly 800,000 euros per year promised by the developer could address several municipal needs, including road paving, free school and kindergarten lunches, and eventual replacement of aging water and sewage networks.

Municipality's role criticized

Asked whether opposition to the project among residents is genuine or exaggerated by opponents, Auziņš acknowledged real resistance exists, but attributes it largely to the municipality's passivity. Based on his experience at public consultations, he says municipal representatives have acted merely as observers of a dispute between the developer and residents, without explaining the project's benefits or taking their own position. In his personal view, the municipality seems inclined to side with whichever party appears to be winning the public debate at a given moment, in order to gain political credit.

He cited an instance where the developer clearly explained at a public hearing the financial benefits for Pāvilosta, yet the municipal representative failed to reinforce this information, allowing the same question about benefits to be raised repeatedly.

Disinformation used as a tactic

Auziņš pointed out that project opponents have circulated misleading photos and videos that have existed online for decades, such as images depicting wind turbine blades being buried, to suggest wind energy poses dangers. He views this as a long-standing tactic used by the fossil fuel industry against alternative energy projects worldwide, which has recently resurfaced in Latvia as wind power development gains momentum again.

Auziņš concluded that the current wealthy residents and property buyers in Pāvilosta are not a guaranteed long-term solution for the town's future, making stable long-term income from such a project more important.