Licensing of three wind farms in Thrace cancelled due to inadequate environmental impact assessment

The Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN) has annulled the licensing of three wind farms in Thrace following an appeal by environmental organizations, including the Hellenic Ornithological Society, the Biodiversity Protection Society of Thrace, and WWF Greece. The cancellation concerns projects located in the Rhodope region, near the Special Protection Area (SPA) "Koyilada Filiouri" within the NATURA network, which is crucial for biodiversity and ecosystem protection.

The appeal was filed due to insufficient environmental impact assessments, particularly after the devastating fires of 2023, which affected the region. The Ministry’s Legal Appeals Department determined that the impact assessments did not incorporate data from the recent fires, making the licensing process non-compliant with legal requirements for updated scientific data.

Notably, despite a negative opinion from the Greek Environmental Protection and Conservation Agency (OFYPEKA), the projects were approved based on a positive opinion from the Department of Natural Environment and Biodiversity Management within YPEN.

This decision is a victory for the environmental organizations advocating for the preservation of protected areas and the prevention of environmentally harmful projects. Specifically, the organizations are calling for a suspension of all projects and activities in the 2023 fire-affected areas of Thrace, as well as an extension of this suspension to neighboring regions critical to bird conservation.

This suspension, along with the ongoing need for protection and management measures for NATURA areas, highlights gaps in the current licensing system and the need for revised procedures to ensure environmental sustainability in Thrace and other sensitive regions of the country.