Elected officials and residents are up in arms against a new wind turbine project in Calvados

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In search of ever more diversification in the means of producing energy that would be clean (electric), the State encourages the installation of wind farms almost everywhere in France. As a result, companies positioned in this growing market are increasing their implementation projects, mainly in the countryside. One of them concerns a sector located to the east of Caen (Calvados), in the municipalities of Bellengreville and of Moult-Chicheboville.

Some farmers, faced with the present and future difficulties of their initial activity, hope to find there a substantial and… lasting additional income, in both senses of the term.

Hard to convince local residents

But these establishments are far from unanimously supported by local populations. Many fear seeing these aerial behemoths spread little by little and invade their living environment. In Val-ès-Dunesconsultations and discussions are underway, in each municipality, to try to find appropriate responses to the state’s request to evaluate and locate sectors suitable for the implementation of renewable energy sources.

If several wind turbine installations have actually been implemented in Val-ès-Dunes in recent years, others currently being installed are causing concern. massive opposition from elected officials of the sector, as well as inhabitants. In Moult-Chicheboville, Coralie Arruego, mayor of the commune, has just thrown a wrench into the pond by taking the initiative to alert the entire Community of Communes about the park project that the company Vensolair (under subsidiary of ENGIE) has been making progress since 2019.

They want at least 1 km distance

It is about three wind turbines two of them located in the Bellengreville plain, and the third on the very edge of the Chicheboville marshes. “Although Moult-Chicheboville has long demonstrated its interest in renewable energies and in particular wind power (Chicheboville-Conteville park with eight wind turbines), this new project seems unacceptable to us.” Coralie Arruego argues: “Previously, a long process of consultation with residents resulted in rules agreed between us all: no settlements closer to homes than existing ones (1 km). » She continues:

“Of course, the official regulations only impose 500 meters, but we consider that this distance is unthinkable in order to maintain a decent quality of life, landscape and sound environment. We therefore refuse the installation of wind turbine No. 3. »

Efforts for the environment

Furthermore, in consultation with the competent state authorities, the impacted municipalities have made a lot of efforts in recent years to protect and animate areas of environmental interest. For example, within the framework of the future Local Intercommunal Urban Planning Plan (PLUI), they had to explain at length the issues to have certain changes in land status accepted (buildable plots becoming unbuildable).

« We strive to limit constructability on the edge of Natura 2000because this environmental issue is now of international level, particularly in terms of biodiversity. » In the end, Moult-Chicheboville expressed its refusal to its neighbor Bellengreville, which abandoned the project for its part. For Coralie Arruego, “it would be incomprehensible to let wind turbine No. 3 be installed 200 meters from the Natura 2000 Zone of the alkaline marsh and the ENS, on a perimeter which, moreover, is currently the subject of consultation with the Calvados department for an extension of the Chicheboville-Bellengreville sensitive zone. What credibility would we have? “.

Despite repeated refusals from elected officials (Bellengreville, Frénouville, CDC Val-ès-Dunes), the Vensolair company is striving to advance its project in the public inquiry phase. To be continued…

An on-call service at Moult-Chicheboville town hall, as part of the public inquiry, is organized this Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. It is open to everyone.

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