Energy, Estonia, Legislation, Markets and Companies
International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics
Friday, 22.11.2024, 02:10
Development of Aidu wind farm can't go on legally – Estonian minister
The Ministry of Defense is opposed to the execution of the wind farm
project, arguing that too high wind turbines are planned to be installed at
Aidu that will interfere with the work of radars of the national defense
system.
The elder the Luganuse municipality, Andrea Eiche, has turned to
the government in connection with the wind farm project being developed by Eleon, a company of brothers Oleg
and Andres Sonajalg, which has come to a halt as result of a legal
dispute. According to the municipality elder, the situation requires the
interference of the prime minister.
From the viewpoint of the municipality, the wind farm is a very important
investment in the territory of the municipality set forth in valid planning
documents, which in addition to indirect positive impacts will have a direct
positive effect on the municipality's budget. The latter effect arises in part
from the payments made on the basis of the building rights purchase and sale
agreement and in part from the obligation of the wind farm developer to support
the construction of an aquatic center at Aidu.
The municipality said that based on the above, the opposition of the
Ministry of Defense to the establishment of the wind farm, unexpectedly
revealed in 2017, hit them as a very unpleasant surprise.
"Until the present moment the municipality had reasons to presume
that the formal issues raised by the Ministry of Defense will be solved in an
administrative court as is appropriate for a country of the rule of law and the
establishment of the wind farm has been halted only temporarily, until the
legal dispute has been solved," Eiche said in her letter to the
government.
The minister of defense, Juri Luik, meanwhile said that the
subject-matter of the proceedings are the building permits issued by orders of
the Luganuse municpality, which are unlawful both in the opinion of the
East-Viru county governor and the Ministry of Justice. In addition, by not
fulfilling the obligation to have the plans endorsed by the authorities
concerned the municipality has jeopardized the functionality of equipment vital
for national defense.
A court has suspended the building permits issued by the municipality as
an interim protection measure.
"It has been established in the court proceeding that the developer
is not fulfilling the interim legal protection order and is continuing unlawful
construction activity for the establishment of the Aidu wind
farm," the minister said in his response to the municipality.
"If the builder of the superficies repeatedly violates the terms of
the right of superficies, the state has the obligation to act in accordance
with the terms of the right of superficies," Luik said.
Established in 2007, Eleon AS
is a developer and builder of multi-megawatt class wind turbines. It plans is
to put up 30 huge three-megawatt turbines at Aidu with a tower height of 135
meters and a rotor diameter of 120 meters.