Wind turbines near Czech-German border spark controversy
German plans to build wind turbines near the Czech border have sparked a backlash, as local communities claim they were ignored and environmental concerns were overlooked.
A German investor is planning to build four massive wind turbines just across the Czech border in the Tachov region, without having consulted the local Czech communities. The tallest turbine, standing at 180 meters with a rotor diameter of 138 meters, will be placed only a few meters from the border, adjacent to the protected landscape area of Český les (Czech Forest), where even small constructions require special permission. Despite the concerns, Czech authorities, including the Ministry of the Environment, appear powerless to stop the project. Environment Minister Petr Hladík (Christian Damocrats) has vowed to try to overturn the German authorities’ decision.
“The Ministry is following formal procedures, but nobody on the German side is discussing the issue with us. This is about us, without us,” said Dana Lesak (Mayors and Independents), mayor of Obora, who is frustrated with the situation.
A Looming Presence on the Border
The gently rolling meadows near the Czech-German border will soon be dominated by towering wind turbines, making the once invisible boundary line more apparent. The turbines will rise near a scenic hiking trail, the Czech Trail, and will be easily visible from the surrounding landscape. Standing on the trail, Mayor Dana Lesak expressed her frustration: “I have nothing against wind turbines, but why not build them two or three kilometers further away? Moreover, this is the highest of the four, right on the border. The environmental impact zone around each turbine affects us too, but nobody is evaluating that. The German authorities are completely ignoring us,” she said. Lesak, who lived in West Germany in the 1980s speaks fluent German, and is well acquainted with the country’s regulations and systems.
Exploiting a Legal Loophole
The German investor, Strauß & Niebauer Windkraftprojekte GbR, managed to bypass a critical environmental review by splitting the wind park into two projects with two turbines each. Under German law, projects with three turbines or more require a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), but by dividing it, the investor avoided this requirement. “The Germans have exploited their own law,” Minister Petr Hladík told Czech Radio.
The Bavarian Ministry of Environment sided with the investor and disregarded a previous agreement between the Upper Palatinate region and the Pilsen region, which stipulated that any construction within two kilometers of the border would undergo joint review. “The investor began planning four years ago, and to this day, we haven’t even been presented with the project. We’re not going to benefit from it in any way,” said Dana Lesak, the informal spokesperson for the affected Czech municipalities.
Germany Responds, But Too Late
Veronika Seitz, spokesperson for the Bavarian Ministry of the Environment, stated that cross-border authorities had been involved in the approval process and that the impacts on both sides of the border were assessed. “There are no harmful environmental effects that contradict public law regulations,” she said, adding that the results were communicated to Czech authorities and municipalities in a letter dated August 19, 2024—three and a half years after the project began.
However, Czech environmental authorities are not satisfied. Tomáš Pecker, head of the protected landscape area Český les, noted that any construction near the protected zone must comply with territorial plans developed in collaboration with the Pilsen region. “We submitted our objections in 2020, and only now, after three and a half years, have we received a response, but our concerns were not addressed,” he said.
German-Czech Relations Strained
Minister Petr Hladík shares the frustrations of local officials. “We wanted to know the details of the project from the beginning, we wanted it to be discussed, and we requested an international environmental review (EIA). We’ve repeatedly asked for this—through our offices, the consulate, and even personally when I met with the Bavarian Minister. But the Germans have ignored us from the start,” Hladík said. He plans to raise the issue during the December meeting of the Espoo Convention, an international agreement on environmental impact assessments for projects affecting neighboring countries. “We want the Bavarians to reverse their decision and redo the entire approval process,” he stated.
The German investor, Thomas Strauß, responded to Czech Radio by claiming that information had been provided to Czech authorities. “If the mayors are not informing their citizens, that’s their failure, not our problem,” Strauß said, adding that many responses from Czech institutions contained dismissive or joking remarks, such as: “We must protect the poor animals; they can’t defend themselves.”
Local Protests and Legal Action
In addition to concerns about the turbines' impact on the landscape, Mayor Lesak pointed out the financial advantage the investor gains by placing the turbines so close to the Czech border. “If they built the turbines a few kilometers farther in, they would have to pay much higher compensation to the German municipalities. By impacting Czech communities instead, they save 360,000 euros,” she argued. Investor Thomas Strauß declined to comment on this accusation.
While Czech entities have no power to intervene in German administrative proceedings, opposition has arisen from within Germany. Four organizations, including the respected Association for Landscape Conservation, Species Protection, and Biodiversity (Verein für Landschaftspflege, Artenschutz und Biodiversität), have filed a lawsuit challenging the permit for the wind park.
Johannes Bradtka, chairman of the association and a descendant of Czech ancestors, is deeply disappointed by the Bavarian authorities' lack of communication. “They could have at least presented the project. I recently discovered how many letters Czech mayors sent to Bavaria without receiving any response. They decided to build it here without talking to anyone,” he said. While the lawsuit doesn’t immediately halt construction, Bradtka believes the investor will wait for the court's decision. “We’ve won a similar case before, where construction had to stop and the area was restored to its original state. Investors are likely to wait, as courts decide these matters quickly,” Bradtka explained.
Seeking a Long-term Solution
Minister Hladík has reached out to all neighboring countries, proposing an international agreement to prevent similar issues in the future. The agreement would require that any wind farms built within three kilometers of the border and solar farms within one kilometer be communicated to the neighboring country. “We will probably conclude the first agreement with Slovakia, where discussions are progressing. But communication with the Saxons and Bavarians is the most challenging,” Hladík admitted.
While Minister Hladík supports wind energy development, he believes the German approach undermines these efforts. “It’s frustrating because we need renewable energy, and we’re trying to push for it. Neither we nor the mayors are against wind turbines, but it’s unacceptable that people living just a few hundred meters away from them receive no information and that their concerns are ignored,” he said.
Energy expert Jan Rovenský warns that this situation may harm public support for wind energy projects. “This could discourage local communities from supporting wind farms, and it’s completely unnecessary,” Rovenský concluded.
