Windfarm

A WINDFARM FOR SAMOTHRAKI?

A DIALOGUE OF THE WINDS

Narrator:

39 industrial size wind turbines are proposed for the summits of the wild, untouched mountains above Kipos beach. They are inside the Natura 2000 protected area, in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Licences must be ratified by The Greek Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change.

Development of a 108-MW wind farm project on the north Aegean island Samothrace, planned to include a 47 kilometer submarine cable for a mainland link, as well as an overland 15 kilometer cable offering a connection with Evros, on Greece’s northeastern tip, stands as Volterra’s most ambitious of its current RES projects.Company officials are currently focused on preliminary work concerning the Samothrace project, including licensing, before construction work is launched."

DIALOGOS

Aeolis: If successful, this proposal will damage the mountain. The wind park could also impact Samothraki's struggling tourist industry.

Roads of 30 or 40 meters wide will need to be opened up to the peaks. Access to previously hard to reach areas will increase human pressure on the landscape.

Once the paths are made, they will build the bases of the thirty-nine wind turbines. Each of them will weigh 1.3 tons of cement, that is, they will put 47 tons of cement on the mountain tops. This means the death of all the mountain forests, which are already degraded. The paths will pave the way for the illegal cutting of the trees from the mountain woods and give easy access by vehicle to otherwise isolated and wild areas of the island, which will invite further development in these pristine areas. They will also be a visual scar on the landscape, and lead to further erosion problems.

In addition, from the places where the wind turbines will be installed, a visually intrusive network of high-voltage electricity pillars will reach the coast, to the sea.

Boreas: Yes, I agree with all of your points, but surely the larger picture of saving the planet needs to be considered? Wind energy is good for earth!

Aeolis: I agree with that, but there are also fewer and fewer wild places left on earth. If we want to protect the planet, we need to protect these special places as well. The wind farm can be placed off-shore, as has already been proposed - the waters off the coast of Samothraki are shallow, and highly suitable for an offshore wind farm . The scientific research for this has already been carried out, and it would be economical.

Boreas: Yes, but the matter is urgent. Also, the economy on Samothraki is weak, this will help the local economy.

Aeolis: Perhaps; if it damages tourism, then it will not help. Tourist numbers have been decreasing - this may be in part because of the increasing development on the island, making it start to lose its complete wildness. Note also that most of the contracting work will be done with imported labour. It will probably result in money leaking away from the local economy, not money circulating within it. Also, you need to keep in mind the type of tourists who are drawn to Samothraki. The island has no wonderful beaches - what draws people here is the myth of the unspoiled mountain, the primitive nature of the place, how it is a throw-back to a quieter, more peaceful time. Carving huge scars into the side of the mountain with massive roads will not help. There has already been damage in recent years with new ugly roads leading into the mountain - something that was not thought necessary before. These roads are bad for the environment, and leave unsightly scars. Ugliness is bad for the special type of tourism that Samothraki attracts.

Boreas: But the proposal is right on the table now, surely it would be better to say yes, Samothraki gets so little investment, this will be good,and will probably come with sweeteners for the island. People need jobs. It will bring money to the island.

Aeolis: Yes, yes, but this is not looking forward far enough into the future long term. Technology is advancing very rapidly. Solar energy is getting cheaper all the time. What we need to think about is local resilience and local sustainability - things like small wind turbines, and local solar power on individual roofs, no-till agriculture, and better land management by individuals so that there is less water stress during the dry summer months. The island needs to be able to stand on its own feet. Volterra is not interested in Samothraki at all, only in its own profits, and resource exploitation. A 108MW wind project is unsuitable for small and delicate little Samothraki. We need to protect our patrimony for future generations. Development on the mountain on this scale damages this, and once this type of damage is done, it is very hard to fix.

If you do not want onshore commercial wind on Samothraki, then the possibility is to put the turbines offshore!

What can you do to find out more information about this project?

• Join the Facebook Page for the local and scientific ecological community that is opposed to the Wind Farm proposal.

• CONTACT THE GREEK DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT (using an online form).

• Also, you could write individually to the Board of Directors of J and P Avax, stating why you are opposed to the wind farm on Samothraki. info@jp-avax.gr These letters can be addressed to Konstantinos Mitzalis or Konstantinos Kouvaras who are the largest individual personal shareholders.

Photo Credit: The photograph below was taken by Dr Stamatis Zogaris, and is reproduced here with permission. It originally appeared in the Athens Nature Journal.