Photo: Diyana Zhelyazkova.
The municipal councilors in Kaolinovo turned a deaf ear to the protests of local environmental organizations and the fears of their own fellow citizens regarding new energy projects by private investors, about which people do not have sufficient information.
At a session on October 28, all councilors unanimously voted in favor of changes to the general development plan (GDP), giving the green light to a project by the companies Energaia and Ai On Energy to build energy storage batteries and an electrical substation. The facilities will be built on 30 decares of fertile agricultural land, classified as high third category, in the village of Lyatno and in the territory of Kaolinovo. After the change of use, the fertile land will become “purely productive,” with a building density of up to 80%.
During the vote in the session hall, Nahide Hasan, chair of the “Protection of the Living Land of Ludogorie” association and Nejat Habibov, chair of the “Protection of the Ludogorie Lands” association, who appealed to the councilors to postpone their decision and first meet with citizens to hear their questions and concerns about the new projects.
However, the appeals of the two conservationists did not elicit any reaction from the councilors. No one from the local parliament asked a single question or made any comment on the subject, despite the positions and fears expressed by Hasan and Kabilov. Only the mayor of Kaolinovo, Nida Ahmedov, announced that the municipality was fulfilling its “duty” to support “such a large investment” and could do nothing after other state institutions, such as the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water and the Energy System Operator, had given permission for the project. Then, in complete silence, the councilors raised their hands in favor of all items related to the private investment.
“Well done, guys,” Nejat Habibov commented sarcastically on their vote, reminding the councilors how a similar project a year ago had destroyed four decares of his wheat. “They entered my fields and trampled them without asking me when they were laying a cable from the solar park in Todor Ikonomov to the substation in Boymir last summer. They laid two cable routes and crushed the wheat everywhere they went. I had soft wheat planted there, my field is 25 decares, but I lost 4 decares, which they dug up with their tractors so badly that the combines couldn’t get in. No one asked me if they could enter my own land, they just went ahead and trampled it! To this day, I haven’t received a penny in compensation from anyone,” Kabilov recalled with regret. He explained that last summer he had an average yield of 700 kg, but no one compensated him for the nearly 1,500 leva he lost from the trampled fields.
“I asked the builders, ‘Who will compensate me for what you destroyed with those tractors? They told me to ask the mayor. He said he had nothing to do with it. And so I lost nearly 2,000 levs. And I’m not the only one. The people who worked on site made excuses that they were subcontractors and sent me to deal with the mayor. He, in turn, sent me to the investors. So everyone is passing the buck, and I’m left with the damage. And now the same thing will happen with the new project!” said Khalilov, referring to the upcoming construction of a new power line.
During the public discussion of the project on September 19, it became clear that the energy storage batteries will be built in the village of Lyatno, but in order to connect them to the power grid, a new power line will be built to Kaolinovo. Local residents were alarmed when they saw that the route of the future power line would pass through their private agricultural land without anyone having sought their consent. At the time, the project designers did not answer how long the new power line would be or why the owners of the affected land had not been asked for their consent. Now farmers in the area fear that their fields will be trampled without their permission, just as happened with Kabilov’s fields.
At the October 28 session, Nahide Hasan and Nejat Habibov again asked the councilors why they were voting to build power facilities on fertile land and how converting arable fields into industrial areas would benefit local residents.
“Why should energy facilities be built on our fertile land, which provides our main livelihood?” Nahide Hasan asked several times, but none of the councilors said a word.
The two environmentalists also raised the issue of the lack of an environmental assessment of the projects, but again met with silence from the councilors.
Mayor Nida Ahmedov reiterated that the municipality and the municipal council are fulfilling their obligations by approving such projects. “Once the energy operator has given its approval (for the power line), what can we do? This is a problem for the various other institutions that issue permits. I did not make the law; we are fulfilling our obligations as a municipality,” Ahmedov explained. He expressed his position that “there is an increasing need for electricity. So when a large investor has decided to make an investment, we are not the authority that will stop it.” In conclusion, the mayor stated that those who are dissatisfied can appeal the decisions before the Administrative Court.
“Why does the municipal council uncritically accept all the investors’ proposals without consulting the population, which is faced with a fait accompli? Why haven’t you initiated a discussion with us, since you are our representatives?” Hassan asked the municipal councilors in a last attempt to change their position. The environmentalists again emphasized that the project has serious flaws and that no changes should be made to the zoning plan until all questions about the investment intentions, their benefits to society, and their environmental impact have been clarified.
However, the councilors voted “yes” without a single “no” or “abstain” vote. “They don’t even question things and vote unanimously, even though they are supposed to be our representatives!” Hassan commented indignantly after the session. Nejatin Kabilov was even angrier: “They didn’t even postpone the decision to talk to the people! These councilors were elected by us, they should protect us, not some private companies. They look me in the eye while I’m fighting for our land, and then they vote against us!” commented the environmentalist from Kaolinovo. Both he and Hasan were adamant that they would appeal the municipal council’s decision in court.
“We will definitely appeal, but I am surprised by the lack of any sensitivity to the loss of fertile land. Yes, energy sources are important, but feeding this population and preserving our resources is just as important. We are losing fertile land, and without an environmental assessment, how did they determine the benefits and harms of these projects?” said Nahide Hasan, expressing the position of many of her fellow citizens. A position that local councilors refuse to hear.
The local authorities in Kaolinovo have approved the construction of three wind farms – Ruzhitsa, Ludogorie, and Kaolinovo. A report by the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water Resources in Shumen states that a total of 39 wind turbines, 180-200 meters high, are under construction in the municipality of Kaolinovo. There will be 13 generators in the territories of the town of Kaolinovo and the village of Lyatno.
