Wind Energy Association Condemns Ignoring of Nature Protection Requirements at Liepāja Wind Farm

The Latvian Wind Energy Association (VEA), which represents companies in the wind power sector, has sharply condemned the disregard of Nature Conservation Agency requirements at the Liepāja wind farm. Bats have reportedly died at the park, including members of protected species. The association calls the operator's conduct unacceptable, and its position was set out in an article by its executive director in the magazine Ir.

VEA stresses that responsible operation means not only producing electricity but also preventing harm to nature and complying with the decisions of supervisory bodies. It notes that the sector has many examples of good practice: responsible companies invest in environmental protection, work with local communities and often do more than the regulations require. One example is helping to settle property ownership issues so that apartment owners living near wind farms can receive the annual compensation due to them.

Gaps in regulation

According to VEA, the Liepāja case also exposes shortcomings in the rules. The project's environmental impact assessment (EIA) was carried out back in 2009, and since then natural conditions, turbine technology and turbine sizes have all changed. The association supports setting a validity period for EIAs, which is currently being written into amendments to the law, so that long-unimplemented projects must have their environmental risks reassessed.

Another "grey area" is the testing period of wind farms. VEA points out that environmental impact begins when a turbine starts turning, not when the park is officially commissioned, so restrictions should apply already during testing.

Penalties and oversight

The impact of turbines on bats can be reduced, for example, by limiting turbine operation at certain hours or in certain weather conditions, but this works only if operators comply. VEA therefore supports larger fines and more effective supervision. It believes a penalty should not be smaller than the economic gain a company makes by ignoring the requirements. If a company repeatedly fails to follow decisions and causes significant harm to nature, it should be possible to swiftly halt turbine operation until violations are corrected.

VEA emphasises that wind energy development and nature protection are not opposing goals, and describes stricter oversight as support for honest businesses.