Wind turbines to be installed in falcon territory on island of Skyros
The Ministry of Environment is set to approve a wind farm with 58 wind turbines in a pristine area of southern Skyros in the central Aegean.
However, the move has been met with the objections of the Natural Environment & Climate Change Agency (NECCA).
The proposed project by the Aioliki South Skyros company concerns the construction of six wind farms with 58 wind turbines (150-180 meters high) on Mount Kochilas in southern Skyros.
The area belongs to the Monastery of Megisti Lavra. A large part of the area in question has been included in the Natura 2000 network because of the presence of important bird species, the main one being the Eleonora falcon.
The largest colony of this species in Greece is in the area.
The environmental impact assessment shows the effects on endangered species to be manageable if the proposed measures are implemented. These include the installation of an automated collision avoidance system, the shutdown of 19 of the wind turbines located on the falcon’s routes from late September to late October, the shutdown of 45 wind turbines located in its feeding area from April to October under specific wind conditions, and others.
NECCA rejects these measures as ineffectual. Regarding the automated collision system, it said there is now enough evidence that it is not always effective. It also cast doubts on the benefits a periodic shutdown of wind turbines is estimated to have.
