The municipality of Silistra has published a notice on its website regarding a public consultation on a project to build a wind farm near Silistra – WPP Silistra, which is to take place on December 2.
What is special about this investment is that the mayor of Silistra Municipality, Alexander Sabanov, is playing a key role by leasing his land to the company Eura Energy AD for the construction of the Silistra Wind Farm.
The subject of the scheduled discussion is a report on the environmental assessment of a project for a partial amendment to the General Development Plan of the municipality of Silistra.
The change is being made so that 43 wind turbines with a total capacity of up to 309.4 MW can be installed and two substations can be built to connect to the electricity transmission network, as well as accompanying technical and road infrastructure. This affects 52 land properties located in the territories of seven settlements around Silistra.
Alexander Sabanov’s participation in this project sparked serious debate even before he became mayor. The decision to partially change the general development plan was first introduced by the previous mayor of Silistra, Yulian Naydenov, two sessions before the end of the previous Municipal Council’s term. At that time, it met with resistance from the status quo formed around the GERB party and was rejected. Some municipal councilors accused the party of rushing the procedure to avoid a possible conflict of interest if Alexander Sabanov won the election and became mayor.
After winning the election and securing a majority in the local parliament along with the mayor’s seat, one of the first decisions that Sabanov submitted for consideration to the municipal council was to amend the General Development Plan (GDP) for the land on which the wind turbines are planned to be installed.
The properties on which the wind turbines will be located are owned by Dobrudzhanska Zemia, a family business owned by Sabanov and his parents. According to him, he himself brought the investment to Silistra a few years ago.
“I personally brought this investment here two years ago. We are giving it a chance to see if there is wind. In order to install measuring towers, the company needs a general development plan – a GDP. I can’t say what will happen to the municipality because I’m not a representative of the company. My job is to sign contracts for them to use my land for research for now,” Sabanov said in 2024 in response to a question about the investment at a press conference at the municipality.
The Municipal Council’s decision to change the general development plan was once rejected by the former regional governor from “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria” on the formal grounds that the opinion of the mayors of the settlements had not been taken into account, but it was ultimately approved and the procedure is now being handled by the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water (RIEW) – Ruse. It has given instructions for an environmental assessment report to be prepared and a public discussion to be held.
So far, several associations have submitted their opinions to the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water Resources (RIEW) in Ruse as part of the public consultation process: the Union of Danube Fruit Growers, the Regional Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, the Sokol 1 Hunting and Fishing Association, and the Living Earth Association. Opinions have also been submitted by two municipal councillors and a member of parliament from the Revival Party, the Direct Democracy Party, and the former member of parliament from the PP-DB party, and subsequently by Stoyan Georgiev, a candidate for parliament from the Velichie party, in his personal capacity as a citizen. Their arguments against the construction of the park were reflected in the recommendations of the director of the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water, as shown in the public documentation on the procedure.
The debate for and against wind turbines in Silistra also spilled over into a billboard war
In 2024, a billboard campaign was organized throughout Silistra, warning residents of the “catastrophic consequences” of installing such facilities under the slogan “Where there are blades, there is no life.” It was paid for by unknown farmers, but the Velichie party ultimately backed the initiative. Subsequently, in 2025, a counter-campaign was organized using the same billboards, this time paid for by an anonymous investor, which suggested the opposite.
In September 2024, the two representatives of Vazrazhdane in the Silistra Municipal Council initiated a procedure for a proposal to hold a local referendum on the installation of wind turbines and solar panels on agricultural land around Silistra. The proposal was not accepted by the Municipal Council.
On the occasion of the upcoming public discussion on December 2 in Silistra, petitions against the construction of the park have been announced by “Obedinenie 29” and the initiative committee “Aydemir for the Protection of Their Lands.”
This is not the only investment proposal for the construction of a wind farm near Silistra. The Municipality of Silistra has also received an investment proposal for another wind farm from the company Geo Restart. On this occasion, Silistra mayors and municipal councilors visited the municipality of Kavarna this spring at the invitation and expense of the investor company to familiarize themselves with the wind farm built there by the same company before making a decision on the approval of the upcoming new project in Silistra.
