Riga, Jan 23 (LETA) - On Monday, January 26, the Latvian Association of Local Governments (LPS) will hold a joint meeting with Smart Administration and Regional Development Minister Raimonds Cudars (New Unity) and Climate and Energy Minister Kaspars Melnis (Greens/Farmers) to find a solution to the issue of municipal spatial plans and wind park development, LPS representative Liene Uzule informed LETA.

The meeting will be attended by LPS Chairman Gints Kaminskis, LPS councilors, Bauska municipal council chairman Aivars Maceks (National Alliance), Preili municipal council chairman Aldis Adamovics (New Unity), representatives of the Smart Administration and Regional Development Ministry and the Climate and Energy Ministry.

Uzule reminded that the LPS called for immediate revocation Cudars' orders on the partial suspension of the Bauska and Preili municipalities' territorial plans, which have significant consequences and negative impacts on all Latvian municipalities. At an extraordinary meeting on January 22 this year, the Bauska municipal council decided to appeal to the Constitutional Court against the minister's order partially suspending the Bauska municipality's spatial plan. The Preili municipal council has yet to decide on further action. What is urgently needed now is a clear solution for all the parties involved and, at the same time, a vision for the future that all municipalities are awaiting.

The LPS stressed that the ministry's long-standing failure to develop guidelines and criteria for a common approach to integrating wind farms into the spatial plans under development is one of the main reasons for the suspension of these plans.

According to the current regulation, municipalities may define areas where the construction of wind power plants is prohibited in order to balance and find a compromise between different interested and involved parties, taking care of the local community and its interests, needs, such as landscape of national importance, cultural and historical monuments, etc.

As reported, Smart Administration and Regional Development Minister Raimonds Cudars (New Unity) has partially suspended the spatial plans of Bauska and Preili municipalities due to what he considers illegal restrictions on the production of renewable energy resources.

The minister has identified significant legal and substantive shortcomings, and has therefore issued orders to suspend the implementation of the Bauska municipality spatial plan and the binding regulations of the Preili municipality spatial plan in parts that, without sufficient data, research, and legal justification, set disproportionate restrictions on the development of renewable energy resources (RES), commercial activities, and the exercise of private rights.

"Spatial plans must be data-driven, proportionate, and legally justified. Local authorities have wide discretion in spatial planning, but should not impose vague, unjustified, or excessive restrictions that significantly limit the property rights of individuals and hinder the achievement of the overall national objectives," says Cudars.

The ministry's assessment of the spatial plans of the two municipalities concluded that the restrictions they impose are incompatible with the RES-oriented economic specialization of the municipalities' sustainable development strategies.

In view of the national policy to promote the development of RES production, the plans contain solutions that, in general, significantly limit the development of RES, contradicting the national objectives of strengthening energy independence and the transition to renewable resources.

In a number of cases, the rules are formulated in a legally vague manner, with subjective criteria to be interpreted, which makes it difficult for individuals to foresee the legal consequences and hampers the implementation of development plans.

EWE Neue Energien 2 has submitted to the State Environmental Service (VVD) a plan for the construction of 17 wind power plants (WPP) in the territories of Bauska and Jelgava municipalities, and the VVD has started the environmental impact assessment procedure.

The municipality provided an official response in October last year, stating that most of the planned wind park area is located on agricultural land of national importance, where such construction is not allowed. The municipality believes that the project does not comply with the existing spatial plan and that the zoning should not be changed.

The Latvian subsidiaries of the Danish wind energy group Eurowind Energy plan to build two wind farms in Dienvidkurzeme region, as well as in the Bauska and Jelgava municipalities, according to information on the website of the already dissolved Energy and Environment Agency (EVA).

In the Preili municipality, Latvenergo is planning to build a wind farm in Riebini.