Ministry of Climate not working on nationwide wind power special plan

The state has assigned local governments the responsibility for initiating and processing wind farm planning. While plans to establish wind farms face significant opposition from local residents in many areas, the Ministry of Climate does not intend to launch a unified national special plan for wind farms.
The Ministry of Climate estimates that by 2030, Estonia should have onshore wind turbines with a total capacity of 2,850 megawatts. To achieve this, nearly 60 planning processes for wind farms have been initiated across Estonia, most of which are special plans spanning 29 municipalities.
In Järva Municipality, resident Mikk Kivila from Roosna village collected 1,060 signatures in a municipality of 8,500 residents to demand the termination of the special planning process for wind farms.
"Our village of Roosna is a long, narrow settlement in Järva County and currently, turbines are planned on three sides around us," Kivila said, emphasizing that placing turbines so close to residents is unacceptable.
Järva Municipality is expected to host 109 wind turbines ranging in height from 270 meters across nine areas.
According to Järva Mayor Toomas Tammik, no final decisions have been made. "The strategic environmental assessment report has been sent to property owners within the affected area for feedback, as well as to relevant agencies. For instance, both the Transport Administration and the Environmental Board have not yet approved it, meaning the report will need further review. Additionally, we've received around 200 comments from the public and each will require a detailed response."
Tammik noted that unresolved issues may require adjustments to the special plan, potentially preventing its approval in its current form.
"Since this is a national objective, the process might have been better managed at the national level through a state-initiated special plan. For example, in the Päinurme area, wind turbines are planned in both our municipality and Põltsamaa Municipality. Managing such planning processes across two local governments could have been more unified," Tammik explained.
Rene Reisner, an adviser in the Ministry of Climate's green reform department, stated that while a national special planning initiative is legally possible, certain conditions must be met to justify it.
"In the current circumstances, there is no urgency or importance at the national level that would necessitate such a unified plan. This is why these processes remain focused at the municipal level," Reisner said.
Reisner added that since renewable energy solutions primarily affect local residents, it is crucial for planning and discussions to occur at the local government level.
He reaffirmed the goal of reaching 2,850 megawatts of onshore wind capacity by 2030.
"We are on track, though perhaps slightly behind schedule. However, there's no sense that we are overreaching or doing more than necessary," Reisner concluded.
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Editor: Barbara Oja, Marcus Turovski