21.04.2011
Position of the Alpine Association of Slovenia
On the occasion of tomorrow's World Earth Day, the Alpine Association of Slovenia, concerned about the protection and preservation of the natural environment, expresses its position regarding the planned construction of wind turbines in the so-called Peca Energy Park.
According to the data available so far, the construction of the so-called Peca Energy Park is planned on the Austrian side of Peca. The investor and initiator is the Austrian company Alpswind. On the summit ridge of Peca, at an altitude of 2,000 meters, six wind turbines on high towers are planned.
The investor Alpswind justifies the construction of the turbines with promises that they will provide electricity supply for 13,000 households on the Austrian side of Peca and for the ski lifts on Peca. The investor has support from the provincial policy, and the construction of the energy park is also supported by the municipalities and mayors (!) on the Austrian side. Since these municipalities already have sufficient electricity supply from the existing chain of hydroelectric power plants (Kelag system) on the Drava, the investor's justification is misleading. It is obviously an attempt to conceal the main purpose, which is the desire for commercial exploitation at the expense of gross interventions in the highest mountains, regardless of the harmful, even irreversible consequences.
It is not known to us whether the investor has already obtained an environmental impact assessment, which is prescribed in such cases also by Austrian legislation.
The Slovenian side of Peca is included in the Natura 2000 area, in the European network of special protection areas designated by the member states of the European Union for the purpose of preserving biodiversity.
Peca is the most important area of drinking water reserves for supplying numerous settlements on the Slovenian and Austrian sides. From the promotional material, it is evident that the wind turbines are planned in the middle of this strategically sensitive water area. Large construction works, also conditioned by new access roads, and the regular operation of the wind turbines would represent a constant threat and danger of causing irreversible ecological damage to the water intakes under Peca (constant danger of unpredictable and uncontrolled spills of various hazardous liquids). The municipalities on the Austrian side have probably overlooked the dilemma in their support for the energy park on Peca: wind turbines for the interests of others or drinking water supply, which will become increasingly valuable and irreplaceable. We believe that both are incompatible on Peca and below it.
Although the construction of the energy park is planned only on the Austrian side of the summit ridge of Peca, its operation would also have harmful effects on the conditions on the Slovenian side. Therefore, the Alpine Association of Slovenia firmly opposes this construction. We advocate the position that at least the summits of our highest mountains, in this case Peca, should be protected from technological and construction interventions and preserved in their pristine state.
Janez Bizjak, Bojan Rotovnik,
Head of the Commission for Mountain Nature Protection PZS President of PZS