Lack of knowledge about the impact on the living conditions of the bird species blue harrier and common harrier has led the Planning Appeals Board to declare both the environmental report and local plans for Denmark's largest wind farm invalid.
However, the turbines at the Thorup plain on the border between the municipalities of Jammerbugt and Vesthimmerland have been completed since last year. The construction cannot be postponed, but they could possibly be stopped or dismantled. Eurowind, which is behind the construction of the turbines, does not believe that will be the case.
- There is nothing in the decision that suggests either a shutdown or that the turbines should be removed or anything like that, says head of public affairs at Eurowind, Joachim Steenstrup and continues:
- We think it is a regrettable situation. Not only for us, but also for the two municipalities, the neighbors and the partners.
Despite the annulled environmental reports and local plans, he sees a single bright spot in the Planning Appeals Board's decision.
- What is positive about this decision is that it points to a number of things that we need to do differently or do more of in our impact report for birds, and then things can probably go well. It gives us something to work with to make a new report, he says.
Not moving too quickly
Eurowind has been fully aware that the complainants have been hanging onto the project in the Planning Appeals Board for several years. Nevertheless, they chose to start the construction of the turbines, a process that was completed last year. At Eurowind, however, they do not believe that they have started the plans too quickly.
- I would go so far as to say 100 percent. of all the Danish infrastructure projects, there are complaints about it when you start. We ourselves think that we have prepared a good environmental report in collaboration with consultants and two very professional administrations in the municipalities in question, says Joachim Steenstrup and continues:
- So I don't think we have moved too quickly. There has been a complaint period of over three years, should we have waited until now? I find it very difficult to see that we should have done it differently, he says.
Following the Planning Complaints Board's decision, the approval processes in the municipalities of Jammerbugt and Vesthimmerland must now be re-run. Joachim Steenstrup has no idea how long that process will take.
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