Häädemeeste opposes planned offshore wind farm power route

Häädemeeste Municipality opposes the planned route for the power connection of the Liivi Gulf offshore wind farm, while local residents are concerned about its potential impact on fish, ERR reported.

The state selected the route corridor in early summer and plans to approve the national special plan in the autumn. If the wind farm is built, its electricity would reach land via an undersea cable in Jaagupi village in Häädemeeste Municipality, then continue by underground cable and overhead line to Kilingi-Nõmme.

Developer Enefit has not yet made an investment decision on the offshore wind farm planned near the Häädemeeste coast. The company is waiting for the state to decide whether offshore wind power is needed in Estonia.

Anne Martin, project manager for the national planning process for the Liivi Gulf power connection, said experts had worked on the route for several years. They had sought to exclude environmentally sensitive areas, assess social and cultural impacts and make the route as acceptable as possible to residents, she said.

Residents who attended a public discussion at the Häädemeeste community centre raised concerns about the route’s impact on fish. Professional fisherman Gert Krüger said the construction would damage his fishing grounds and threaten his livelihood.

Häädemeeste Municipality would have preferred the route to run towards Pärnu. Mayor Ain Järvesaar said the chosen route was not consistent with the county’s comprehensive plans or the municipality’s planning documents, and that local opinions had also been taken into account.

According to Martin, the municipality can only express its opinion on the national special plan. Some proposals have been accepted, but major changes to the route are no longer expected. The national special plan for the power connection is due to be approved in the autumn.