Orlovača wind farm project overturned in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Villagers in an area near Livno in Bosnia and Herzegovina where the Orlovača wind farm was planned managed to halt the project. Following a public discussion, the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism rejected HB Wind’s request for a preliminary environmental impact assessment.

HB Wind initially signed a concession agreement in March 2010 with the Ministry of Economy of Canton 10, also known as Herzeg-Bosnia County. In early 2020, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) gave consent to issue an energy permit for the 42.9 MW Orlovača wind farm in the Livno area, which was set to include 13 wind turbines. At the same time, the nearby Ivovik project also received approval.

HB Wind submitted a request to the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism for a preliminary environmental impact assessment in June of this year. Mostar-based authorized consultant Zagrebinspekt (ZGI) produced the document.

After the ministry invited the public to review the environmental impact assessment study for the Orlovača wind farm, over 200 residents of villages near HB Wind’s concession area sent objections, detailing the direct impact in ten points. One major issue was the proximity of the planned turbines to the towns of Drinova Međa, Vidoši, Dobro, Dola, Megdan, and Potkraj.

Of note, Canton 10 is one of the ten cantons in FBiH, which is one of the two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other one is called the Republic of Srpska.

The construction of the Orlovača wind farm would have had permanent and irreversible harmful effects on the environment

According to local civic group Centar za građansku suradnju (CGS), the villagers acted at the last moment and enabled a formal public discussion on the project. The City of Livno was instructed by the federal ministry to inform the village community about the public oversight process, but that it did not take any action, the organization points out.

“It is upsetting that wind turbine sites near people’s houses were pre-mapped in cadasters as if construction was a foregone conclusion and the construction was starting the following day,” CGS stated.

The residents organized themselves to raise their concerns. They commissioned a geological study in which geologists explained that no excavation, blasting, or concrete work should take place above the spring of the Sturba river, from which residents draw drinking water, to prevent harmful elements from contaminating the water.

The ministry validated the residents’ arguments, concluding that building the wind farm would have permanent and irreversible adverse effects on the environment.

Controversial Ivovik wind park enters test operation long after it was completed

Unlike Orlovača, the Ivovik wind farm between Livno and Tomislavgrad was built, despite incomplete documentation and the fact that locals accused municipal authorities of unlawfully seizing their land, RFE/RL reported. The 84 MW facility is owned by Chinese companies Sinohydro Holding, controlled by PowerChina, and China National Technical Import and Export Corp. (CNTIC).

Ivovik recently received an operational permit, months after completion, and has begun test operations.

Wind farm challenges across Balkans

Around the same time as the public hearing in Livno for the Orlovača wind farm, the Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection issued a decision on nature conservation conditions, halting the planned construction of the Čestobrodica wind farm on Bukovik mountain in the municipality of Sokobanja. It marked the first time in Serbia that the construction of a wind farm was effectively banned.

Elsewhere in the region covered by Balkan Green Energy News, the Municipal Assembly of Dobrichka in Bulgaria recently voted to prohibit the conversion of agricultural land to construction sites for wind farms, with the declaration remaining in effect until a postponed referendum is held.

The local parliament in neighboring General Toshevo recently made a similar decision. German company wpd plans to install turbines in both municipalities. The Dobrich region, located in northeastern Bulgaria, has the highest potential for wind energy.

Authorities in the nearby municipality of Vetrino, close to Varna, blocked CWP’s massive project last year. Since 2012, no wind farm has been commissioned in Bulgaria, mainly due to administrative barriers and legal uncertainties.

A proposed offshore wind farm law in Bulgaria sparked opposition in late 2023 from fishermen, the tourism industry, nongovernmental organizations, and local authorities in the coastal city of Varna and surrounding areas. It contributed to the government’s collapse, and the bill was stalled.

It should be noted that wpd also faced resistance from the local population in Montenegro over its Brajići project.

Public and environmental groups oppose wind farms in Slovenia

Notably, Slovenia hosts no wind parks except for three individual wind turbines, and it is the second-lowest among European Union member states in terms of capacity. Several projects are in development, but investors face challenges in obtaining permits as citizens and environmental activists fear wind farms would harm the environment.

In April, the Slovenian Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning rejected a construction permit for 35 turbines on Pohorje, while the investor withdrew the permit request for 21 turbines on Rogla.