Residents of Latvia will be paid for wind generators near their homes

Compensations are provided for those households and municipalities that are located within a radius of two kilometers from wind turbines. Each turbine is expected to have a capacity of between 4 and 7 megawatts (MW).

However, compensation will not apply to areas where wind turbines were previously installed.

As Melnis reported, half of the compensation amount will be intended for residents, and the second – for self-government. If there are no households in the vicinity of the installed turbines, the entire amount of compensation will be paid to the local government.

“The main thing is to ensure that residents receive compensation payments,” Melnis emphasized.

The compensation is intended for residents currently living in the areas where the turbines will be installed. If someone is just planning to move to these territories, then compensation will not be paid, the minister explained.

The amount of compensation will be calculated individually – for the owner of the household it will be at least the minimum monthly salary, but not more than three minimum salaries. The remaining amount will go to the local government.

According to the minister, the administration of compensation can be taken over by local governments.

The two-kilometer radius was determined based on a comparison of the situation with neighboring countries. At the same time, a fixed amount of compensation was chosen so that it was simple and understandable for the population, Melnis explained.

It is currently determined that turbines cannot be installed closer than 800 meters from existing households.

In addition, Melnis said that the Ministry of Climate and Energy is looking for ways to avoid taxation of compensation. Although the Ministry for its part does not plan to tax the compensation, the Ministry of Finance may have its own position.

Melnis noted that currently the share of renewable energy resources is 53%, while the European average is 41%. To achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030, approximately 1.5 to 2 gigawatts of wind power would need to be generated, which would produce an average output of 3.6 to 4.9 terawatt-hours (TWh).

Currently, the reserved capacity in the transmission network is 6040 MW, including 3582 MW reserved for solar energy, 1548 MW for hybrid energy, and 880 MW for wind energy.

Melnis noted that of the reserved 6,040 MW of capacity, approximately 3,000 MW could actually be produced, but it is not yet clear which planned parks will be built and which will not.

“We cannot develop society and the economy if we do not have cheap electricity,” Melnis noted.

In the near future, the ministry will send a report to the Cabinet of Ministers on more efficient use of renewable energy resources.

#Residents #Latvia #paid #wind #generators #homes
2024-05-08 14:40:45

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