Greece: Residents’ reactions to wind turbines
For decades, the windless beach of Agioi Apostoloi on the east coast of Evia was a refuge for those who wanted to escape the proverbial meltemi of the Aegean in the summer. Calm sea and a few fishing boats composed the landscape.
But if some wanted to avoid the wind, others saw an opportunity in it.
Stamatoula Karava is a resident of the village. He points to the shore and beyond and describes: “Here is the main beach of the village where everyone sits in the summer and swims in front of this very nice beach. And he sees … these “. As he explains, “those who come, that is, those who used to come, and knew this place like a virgin and come and see it now, constantly tell us ‘why did you let this crime take place'”.
The area of central and southern Evia, especially between Avlonari and Nea Styra, has now been sown with wind turbines. The inhabitants of Agioi Apostoloi characterize the night lights and their monotonous sound as “torture”, but if there is an area capable of producing a lot of energy through wind farms, this is definitely the “windy” Evia. However, Dimitris Soufleris from the Environment Company of Kymi points out that the wind turbines in the first lockdown of 2020 sprouted like … mushrooms.
“We have calculated that in the period of the first lockdown of 2020, ie from March to May, a wind turbine must be built in Evia every three days”, says Mr. Soufleris.
For its part, the Energy Regulatory Authority states that the capacity of Evia in wind turbines has almost reached the ceiling. Its president, Athanasios Dagoumas, an associate professor at the University of Piraeus, emphasizes the importance of dialogue with locals: “We understand, of course, that environmental issues are very sensitive to local communities, so we understand that if there are issues, they need to be addressed. “So there has to be a dialogue between the communities and those who decide.”
In 2020, Greece produced 36% of its energy from renewable sources – a percentage slightly lower than that of the European Union, but well above the national target of 18%. In the first quarter of 2021, renewables surpassed natural gas, lignite and imports in terms of their share in the Greek energy mix. According to RAE, since 2019 Greece has increased the possibility of producing energy from the air.
However, recently, the bodies of Evia appealed to the Council of State with a decision of 2021 on the construction of ten wind farms in Karystos. According to them, the wind farms will be built in NATURA 2000 protected zones, without the appropriate guarantees.