Bulgarian court overturns ban on CWP Global 614 mln euro wind park project

The Varna administrative court upheld a complaint from Dobrotich Wind that a moratorium on wind turbine installation imposed by the municipality of Vetrino in July was in breach of Bulgaria's renewable energy legislation, the project company said in a press release.

The court's decision can be appealed.

The moratorium was initiated as a result of protests by local residents, but the court found that the municipality does not have the powers to rule on the matter which is under national and European jurisdiction.

Under Dobrotich Wind's investment plan unveiled in September, the company intends to install 74 wind turbines of 8 MW each in six villages in the Valchi Dol and Vetrino municipalities.

Bulgaria's largest wind park to date is the 156-MW St. Nikola wind farm, owned by AES Bulgaria, which is located near the town of Kavarna, on the northeastern Black Sea coast.

According to Bulgaria's Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2031-2030, which is in line with EU regulations and targets, Bulgaria aims to achieve at least a 27.09% share of renewables in its gross energy consumption by 2030, increasing the use of green energy sources for electricity generation, heating, cooling and transport.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)