Greece suspends three wind projects over biodiversity concerns

Greece’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy has revoked the environmental licenses for three wind power projects in region of Thrace following an appeal by three environmental organizations. The environmentalists are now calling on the ministry to suspend wind power projects in the areas affected by the 2023 wildfires, as well as neighboring areas, in order to preserve sensitive protected bird populations.

In their appeal, the Hellenic Ornithological Society, the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace, and WWF Greece argued that the environmental impact assessments for the wind farms were not based on the latest and most relevant data, as required by law.

The environmental impact assessments were not based on the latest data

The projects’ impact assessments failed to adequately account for the environmental consequences of the devastating summer 2023 wildfires, they claimed.

The licenses were issued by the administration of Macedonia-Thrace in August 2024. Despite a negative opinion from the body managing the national parks of Evros Delta and Dadia, the licenses were granted based on the positive opinion of the department of natural environment and biodiversity management within the ministry.

The ministry now recognizes that project evaluations must consider the impacts of catastrophic wildfires on both burned and neighboring unaffected areas, as well as critical opinions on projects significantly affecting biodiversity, according to the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace.

Ministry urged to suspend wind projects to protect endangered birds

The environmental organizations expect the ministry to suspend all project and activity licenses within burned areas and to extend the suspension of wind power projects to neighboring areas vital for preserving sensitive protected avifauna, according to a press release.

In April 2023, a protected vulture was seriously injured in a collision with a wind turbine in the important bird area Filiouri Valley in Thrace. The incident once again shed light on the cumulative effects of wind turbines on protected birds of prey and vultures in the region, the Vulture Conservation Foundation said at the time.

In another incident in Filiouri Valley a year earlier, an endangered black vulture was killed after flying into the blades of a wind turbine located in a protected Natura 2000 area.