Metsamaahalduse AS submitted an application for the initiation of a spatial plan in February. The wind farm would encompass an area of slightly over 120 hectares and the plan is to establish seven wind turbines on the property.

The company has been interested in building wind turbines for a while already, but the push to act was given by the statement made by Enefit Green, as the latter's plan would encompass registered immovables of Metsamaahalduse AS, Pärnu Postimees writes.

In January, Enefit Green, a renewable energy subsidiary of Eesti Energia, submitted an application for a special development plan to the Saarde municipality in Pärnu County to begin an environmental impact assessment and to determine whether a wind farm could be built near Ristikula. Enefit's wind farm would encompass some 600 hectares and the company is still looking for a suitable location.

Metsamaahalduse AS consultant Hannu Lamp told the newspaper that the area in question is one of the few areas in Estonia that does not have radar restrictions for the establishment of a wind farm. "The power grid should be quite powerful there. I hope there will be room for more than two projects in the area," he said. Lamp added that this is rather a form of cooperation than a competing wind farm.

The registered immovables of Metsamaahalduse AS are located over a kilometer from the nearest buildings. This distance is enough for the noise of wind turbines to not travel to residents. The consultant said that according to map applications, the land owned by the company is not under nature conservation.

Lamp did not yet comment on how high the wind turbines will be that the company is planning to erect and said he wishes to wait for the stance of the rural municipality of Saarde to then discuss the issue with the Ministry of Defense. "Since we are inland, it makes sense to establish taller wind turbines than in Paldiski, where the height of the mast is 80 meters," he said. According to the consultant, the capacity could be approximately five megawatt-hours per wind turbine.

The rural municipality of Saarde extended the deadline for initiating or not initiating the assessment of environmental impact in the application of Enefit Green by two months. Next Tuesday, a discussion will be held at Surju community center that will also be attended by representatives of Enefit and heads of the rural municipality.

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