Wind farms are being built across Estonia, and meetings about local developments are held regularly in affected communities. The meetings are public and open to anyone who wants to attend.

But in recent months, media reports have shown that discussions are regularly derailed by anti-wind farm activists who travel across the country to express their views. Even though they live nowhere near the future development. Experts also accuse them of spreading misinformation.

Meetings have become hostile, and some council members have even received death threats.  

EKRE has even told its members to oppose the construction of wind farms in local municipalities. The action is connected to the upcoming local elections.

"Meetings hijacked by protestors"

Environmental consultants Piret Toonpere and Heiki Kalberg said public meetings are being hijacked by a group of traveling activists. They have both attended more than 20 meetings and regularly see the same agitators.

"We have had planning discussions where strong opposition is voiced from the audience. And then afterwards, when the official part is over, someone comes up to me and asks, 'Hey, look at this plot of land — can something be built there, and so on.' So in some places, the locals do not even dare to speak up," Kalberg said.

Toonpere said one of the most infamous examples is in the town of Põltsamaa in Jõgeva County. At times, it was difficult for the moderator to control the discussion. She said it often felt like no one wanted to hear answers to the questions posed.

"People from farther away spoke up actively, until one local said, 'Look, I don't know you — who are you? I'm a local, and we don't feel that way,'" Kalberg added.

"Essentially, the Põltsamaa meeting was stolen from the people of Põltsamaa. I'll say it outright. Locals had minimal opportunity to ask questions. And most of the time that everyone had set aside to come to the meeting and ask their questions was taken up by speeches—and unfortunately, in the end, mudslinging."

One of the biggest problems, experts told the show, is that misinformation dominates public meetings rather than local concerns. The false information spreads rapidly on social media and at meetings.

"We have had situations where, for example, someone with a doctoral degree explains issues related to noise. At first, people listen and then suddenly say, "We do not believe you. This is false information,'" Kalberg said.

He believes another problem is that false claims are often put forward at these meetings but rarely addressed or refuted at the time.

One of the biggest discussion points and fears is "infrasound," sound waves with frequencies below the lower limit of human audibility. Conspiracy theorists believe it has negative effects on people.

However, the Health Board has measured, studied, and confirmed that infrasound from wind turbines is not harmful.

"But then people say the Health Board is not competent. A group gathers and declares the Health Board is not competent. How can that be? But that is what happens," Kalberg said in disbelief.

Both Kalberg and Toonpere said the anger directed at developers and experts involved in discussions is personal, hostile, and a constant presence in their work.

"I'm fighting for our children, our grandchildren, for our homes"

"Impulss" spoke with three activists who regularly attend meetings across the country.

Lauri Koni, 59, lives in Elva Municipality and worked for years as a fisherman and owned a construction company. He then founded a family business that offers dishes made with fish from Lake Võrtsjärv.

A former member of EKRE, Koni switched last year to the Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives party, a faction which split from EKRE in 2024. He said he has taken part in around 10 wind farm meetings.

"Our party started bringing people together. /…/ I live in Elva Municipality myself, but it cannot be that I live here and have no interest in what is going on in neighboring municipalities. This will end up affecting all of us very strongly," Koni told the show, explaining his reasons for traveling to meetings around Estonia.

The second activist Olev Kulli, likes to be known as "Tapiku Olev" after returning to his roots in Tapiku village, Jõgeva County, after spending many years in Harju County.

The 76-year-old activist is also a member of the Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives. He advocates for wind turbines to be kept away from sacred natural sites.

"I have gone as a guest to visit other regions and municipalities to get a feel for the mood. We have been invited. I have been seen and people have called me — come and share your impressions. But I am a very curious old man, I go see and listen, I want to know what people are feeling," Kulli said.

The third activist, 45-year-old Urmas Maranik, does not belong to any political party. Together with his wife Maarja, he leads the nonprofit "Looduse ja inimeste eest" (For Nature and People), which they established in 2024.

The couple, who have attended nearly 30 meetings, previously worked in translation, printing services mediation, and berry farming.

Maranik said the NGO represents hundreds of people.

"Our number one goal is really to provide explanations, because what we have seen is that most of these legally mandated or official engagement meetings do not actually go into much detail. They are very formal, referencing various legal provisions, and that's where most of the energy goes. But what people usually care about is the substance. And that is what we are trying to explain," he said.

Wind farms will continue to be developed in Estonia, and moderators are doing their best to maintain order, "Impulss" reported. But the activists are just as determined to keep going.

Maranik wants the current process to be scrapped. "We should go back to the drawing board, take out a map of all of Estonia, and look at the picture as a whole," he said.

Koni said he has been labeled a pro-Russia troll and Kremlin agent. "Let them say what they want. Unfortunately, that's how it is — even though I'm fighting for our children, our grandchildren, for our homes."

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