A detailed study on the establishment of a wind farm in Kaigu Mire, Jelgava municipality, is approaching the results – it is planned to produce “green” energy for Laflora's own consumption and the public market in post-harvested peatland surrounded by forests.
A detailed study on the establishment of wind farm in Jelgava municipality is going on for over a year, and is approaching the results.
The idea will be implemented by peat extraction and processing company Laflora, in Jelgava municipality, in Kaigu Mire owned by the company. It is planned to produce “green” energy for Laflora's own consumption and for the the public market in a post-harvested peatland surrounded by forests.
In the coming months, it is planned to present the idea to residents and to hear their opinions – in the public consultation of the wind farm environmental impact assessment report in Jelgava municipality.
The climate issue has become globally relevant. Latvia has undertaken climate policy commitments and goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Among other measures, it is also planned to increase the use of renewable energy resources. The National Energy and Climate Plan provides that additional onshore wind farms with 800 MW capacity should be developed in Latvia by 2030. The construction of the wind farm is Laflora's contribution to the country's climate neutrality goals. The Laflora wind farm with a capacity of 90 MW would be able to provide about one tenth of the respective national target for 2030.
The operation of Laflora is based on the concept of responsible peatlands management, which means that peat is extracted in a sustainable way, the resulting peat is processed into value-added products, and in order to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions from peat extraction, the company implements extensive after-use (reclamation) program (afforestation, berry plantations, etc.). It is a measure to compensate emissions from peat extraction, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and capturing carbon dioxide (CO2). The construction of a wind farm would be the next step in providing “green”, zero-emission electricity from renewable energy sources for the company's own consumption and for the public market. It is planned that the Laflora wind farm will be able to reduce the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation in Latvia by approximately 10-11%.
It is planned to arrange 22 wind turbines in Kaigu Mire (Līvbērze rural territory) and in the surrounding forest in an area of about 700 hectares – a total territory of the wind farm (wind turbines themselves will be build on approximately 10 hectares large area). These turbines would be able to produce a total amount of electricity (300,000 MWh) per year, which is comparable to approximately 5% of Latvia's total annual electricity consumption. The indicative CO2 savings would be around 112,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year. It is planned that wind farm construction will start in 2022. In accordance with the regulatory framework, an environmental impact assessment procedure for Laflora wind farm design is currently ongoing. In order to evaluate the impact of wind park on the environment, nature and the local population, the impact is analyzed in 11 dimensions. An ornithologist, bat expert, habitat expert, landscape architects, cultural heritage experts, hydrologists and geologists will give their opinions and recommendations on the plan. Also, electromagnetic field expertise, noise expertise, analysis of potential shadow flicker effect of wind turbines, and risk analysis are ongoing. Active research on the wind park idea has been ongoing for 15 months, and it will be completed in 2020. Then, it is planned to invite local residents to the public consultation of the environmental impact assessment report. This is a very active and responsible stage in the development of the wind farm. Most of the environmental experts have already submitted their opinions. The opinions are being used to model modifications of the potential park, in order to find the most efficient solution both in terms of turbine parameters and their location in the territory.
The arrangement of wind turbines in the park is especially important because it affects the overall effectiveness of the park. Turbine shadows and noise are important as they are not the same for all turbine models. The permissible levels of noise and shadow flicker effects are defined in regulatory enactments, and these values can be used in calculations when choosing the turbine model, tower height, blade length, etc. It is possible to find a solution that do not deteriorate the quality of life in nearby homesteads. There are some farmsteads near the wind farm, the nearest of which is 1.2 km away.
Uldis Ameriks, Chairman of the Board of Laflora: “We want to develop a wind farm where energy is produced in harmony with people and nature. We want to implement a project that we and the residents of Jelgava municipality can be proud of.”
As already reported, an initial public consultation on the environmental impact assessment of Laflora wind farm project took place in July 2019.
