Resolution against the installation of wind turbines in Halkidiki

By unanimous decision, the Sithonia Municipal Council approved a resolution expressing its opposition to plans for the installation of wind farms in Halkidiki, placing at the center the impacts on the natural environment, the local economy, and the region’s tourism. The resolution was adopted during a regular session of the Municipal Council and concerns the broader energy planning being promoted in mountainous and environmentally sensitive zones of the prefecture.

According to the decision, the Municipality stresses that, without rejecting Renewable Energy Sources as a whole, it expresses serious reservations regarding the manner and siting of these specific projects, highlighting the risk of altering the natural and cultural landscape, as well as the potential consequences for key productive sectors such as agriculture, livestock farming, beekeeping, and tourism.

As provided for, the resolution is forwarded to the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia–Thrace, the Region of Halkidiki, the Forest Directorate of Halkidiki, and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Halkidiki and Mount Athos, strengthening the institutional character of the intervention and broadening the scope of administrative and environmental assessment.

In this context, the Sithonia Municipal Council approved the following resolution:

“With the present resolution, we express our strong opposition and protest against the plans for the installation and development of an Wind Energy Industry (Wind Turbine Parks) in our Halkidiki.

We are not categorically opposed to Renewable Energy Sources, provided that they contribute to environmental protection and to a better quality of life. However, the Wind Parks planned to be installed in Halkidiki—without consultation and despite the opposition of local communities and institutions—will have negative impacts on nature, economic activities, and the lives of residents and visitors of our Prefecture.

Ormylia and Polygyros are only the beginning, as there is information concerning other areas in Halkidiki as well, such as Metagkitsi, Galatista, and Olympiada. A common practice of companies is the fragmentation of projects, in order to bypass the more complex environmental licensing process and to avoid taking into account the cumulative impacts of the projects. In the case of Ormylia and Polygyros, these are three projects that have received production licenses and are being developed by the same company, thus encircling the village and the plain of Ormylia, which is designated as high-productivity agricultural land and constitutes the cradle of the world-famous Halkidiki PDO olive, with 30,000 stremmas of cultivated area and a special microclimate that will be directly affected by the operation of the Wind Park, with irreversible consequences for the area.

These impacts will irreparably harm agriculture, beekeeping, livestock farming, and tourism, which are core activities of the local economy. At the same time, plants of various species—many of them of particular importance for beekeeping—will be destroyed during the installation works of the wind turbines. In many cases, wind turbines are installed even in high forest areas, destroying zones vital to the flora and fauna of our region, while there is also a risk of soil erosion due to the extensive excavations and earthworks required for their construction and the accompanying infrastructure.

Their installation very close to residential and tourist areas will result in intense visual and noise pollution and significant aesthetic degradation, as they will be visible from very long distances. Companies do not hesitate to install them very close to, or even within, Natura 2000 network areas, as well as in habitats and in important sites of historical and archaeological interest. The installation of wind turbines very close to monasteries, historic chapels, and still unexplored archaeological sites will permanently alter the aesthetic and historical continuity of the landscape. Halkidiki risks being transformed into an industrial field with a completely different character from today, as it will become a recipient of an ever-increasing number of wind energy units.

The active and mass reaction of residents, associations, and institutions can prevent the installation of wind turbines in our Halkidiki.

We demand:

– The cancellation of any plan for the installation of additional wind farms on the ridgelines and the broader natural area of the Municipality of Sithonia and Polygyros and of Halkidiki as a whole.

– The conduct of a substantive and binding dialogue with the local community regarding any future energy planning, guided by respect for the environment, history, and our local economy.

– The protection and promotion of the natural and cultural wealth of our region, as the foundation for sustainable and fair development.

The resolution is sent to the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia–Thrace, the Region of Halkidiki, the Forest Directorate of Halkidiki, and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Halkidiki & Mount Athos.”