Public Meeting in Birzgale on Planned “Stelpe 1” Wind Farm

A public hearing will take place today at 5:30 p.m. at the Birzgale Community Centre, 2 Skolas Street, on the planned “Stelpe 1” wind farm of the company SIA “SP Venta”. The meeting will discuss the first version of the local plan, a spatial planning document that amends the existing territorial plan, and the draft Environmental Report. People can also join online. The information was published by the Latvian Energy and Environment Agency.

The public consultation runs until 8 November, and written proposals and comments can be submitted until then.

What the project involves

The local plan area covers roughly 362 hectares in Birzgale parish. Its aim is to amend the territorial plan by creating a forest sub-zone in which wind turbines could be built alongside other permitted uses. The farm is planned in Birzgale parish in Ogre municipality, and in Valle and Vecumnieki parishes in Bauska municipality.

Up to 11 turbines with a total capacity of about 77 megawatts are planned. Up to seven of them, each with a nominal capacity of up to 7 MW, would stand in Birzgale parish. Construction could take about two years. The total height of the turbines will not exceed 267 metres.

The environmental impact assessment examined three turbine models: Nordex N175 (6.8 MW), Nordex N163 (7 MW) and Vestas V162 (6.2 MW). The local plan does not specify which model will be used. Construction would also include assembly and service areas, access roads, electrical networks and new connections to existing roads. The Jelgava–Krustpils railway line crosses the area.

Surroundings and environmental impact

The nearest village, Birzgale, is about four kilometres from the plan area, and Valle village about eight. The nearest towns are Lielvarde (about 14 km) and Jaunjelgava (about 21 km). Some individual farmsteads are also located nearby.

The area contains the EU-protected habitat “Alluvial forests”, as well as a site of the protected species interrupted clubmoss, a large veteran tree and a potential veteran tree. The Environmental Report assesses effects on birds and bats, as well as noise, shadow flicker, visual impact, vibration and electromagnetic fields. Mitigation measures are planned for construction and operation.

Companies involved

The documents were prepared by SIA “Grupa93”, while “SP Venta” is the developer and commissioner of the Environmental Report. According to Firmas.lv, the company had a turnover of 1.47 million euros and a loss of 2.874 million euros last year. It was registered in 2020, has share capital of 45.787 million euros, and its sole owner is “Arrow Holdco”, registered in Lithuania.