Bats die at wind farm near Liepāja, but company does not halt turbines
Latvia's State Environmental Service has ordered the turbines of Liepāja-based Rapsoil's wind farm stopped after more than 20 protected bats died there. The company is not complying, saying it has met all requirements.
More than 20 specially protected bats have died at a wind farm operated by the Liepāja company Rapsoil. Latvia's State Environmental Service, the authority that oversees compliance with environmental requirements, has ordered the company to stop the turbines. The company is not following the order. The situation was reported on 5 November by the Latvian Television programme LTV Ziņas.
Permitted limit exceeded
The number of bat deaths exceeds the limit set for this wind farm in its environmental impact assessment. That is a document in which the possible effects of a project on nature are evaluated before it goes ahead. Exceeding this limit is the basis for the service's decision.
Farm not yet in operation
The wind farm has not yet been commissioned and does not currently produce electricity for the grid. Even so, the service has ruled that the turbines must stop operating.
The company's position
Rapsoil says that, in its view, all requirements have been met, and for that reason it is not carrying out the order. The source does not say how the dispute between the company and the service will develop, or what penalties could follow for ignoring the order.
