A group of Paštrović citizens submitted to the Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić an open letter, demanding that the wind power plant on Brajići and Paštrovska Gora not be built on that location, but that another be found, because it threatens the cultural heritage, natural heritage and tourism of the area.
The letter, which Vijesti had access to, is signed by the presidents of the councils of five local communities: Vladislav Mitrović "Saint Stephen", Predrag Ivanovic "Bečići", Aleksandar Radovic "Reževići, Željko Bjelica "Petrovac" and Vlado Papan "Buljarica".
"We are writing this letter in the hope that our message will reach you. We want to inform you that we, the citizens of Paštrović and the entire Municipality of Budva, have become very concerned about the announced construction of a wind farm in the hinterland of our coast, which may have very negative effects on tourism, as well as our cultural and natural heritage. Namely, the company 'Vjetroelektrane Budva DOO Podgorica' plans to build a project called the 'Brajići' Wind Power Plant, which covers a large part of Brajići and Paštrovska Gora. About eight to 10 industrial wind turbines with a height of about 180 meters (with an ellipse) are planned on the hilltops in the hinterland of Bečići, Pržno and Sveti Stefan, just a few hundred meters as the crow flies above the beautiful villages of Pastrovsk in the hinterland - Vojnići, Kuljače, Kaženegre, Rustovo, Čelobrdo, Đenaši and Tudorovići, as well as Brajići themselves. These massive installations would be visible from the entire Budva bay and threaten to collapse the natural and cultural landscape of our region, which is an integral part of the tourist brand of Budva as a metropolis of tourism, and of St. Stefan as an elite destination. The noise produced by such wind turbines is also a danger to the quality of the tourist offer, which indirectly affects the value of real estate, as well as people's health," the letter reads.
As they point out, Brajići and the hinterland of Paštrovića have great potential in terms of rural tourism.
"Tourists want peace and nature, not energy. They come here to see the natural beauty and not the massive industrial installations that they regularly see in their home countries, and they are not interested in that while on vacation. For example, the parent company that is supposed to build these wind turbines has its regional headquarters in Dubrovnik, but their nearest wind farm is about 40 kilometers from Dubrovnik, in the transit zone around the town of Ston, where the large Pelješki bridge is being built nearby. Our respected neighbors, the Croats, have preserved their tourist treasure Dubrovnik and its surroundings, because they are very aware of the negative impact of wind farms on tourism and the price of real estate, as evidenced by numerous scientific articles from highly rated scientific journals such as 'Applied energy', 'Energy policy', 'Land use policy', 'Tourism management', and many others", the locals point out.
The planned wind farm, as they warn, also threatens to devastate the cultural heritage which is also an essential part of our tourist product.
"Namely, in the narrow zone of the mentioned wind power plant, near the villages of Kuljače and Čelobrdo, there are five monasteries - Vojnići, Duljevo, Rustovo, Sv. Spiridon, which are about 500 to 700 meters away from the wind turbines as the crow flies, as well as the Praskvica monastery which is about 1.800 meters away as the crow flies. All over this zone and nearby villages, unpleasant infrasound emitted by wind turbines would be heard, which will certainly significantly affect the peaceful life of people, the cultural value of these assets, and also the tourist attraction of the area. At night, the sound could be heard as far as Pržno and Sveti Stefan, and very likely as far as Bečići. All this can be confirmed by the experiences of the residents of Ulcinj, Goran and Kruč, who are very threatened by the Možura wind farm, and some have even decided to sell their houses and cottages because life next to the wind farm is no longer the same.
In addition, in this zone, together with the monastery churches, there are about 25 churches and two medieval cemeteries of Paštrović who, according to tradition, died in the 14th century in a battle with the army of the Hungarian king Ludwig on Pastrovska Gora. Church of St. Đorđa, near which there is one such cemetery, is about 300-400 meters as the crow flies from the wind turbines planned on Eva hill between Kuljač and Brajić. Also, there is the old Austro-Hungarian road, the remains of the old Austro-Hungarian fortress on Ograđenica near Sv. Spiridona, then the Kosmač fortress in the Brajić area. Near the Čelobrdo hill, between Đenaš and Kuljač, there is a so-called Yegor's road, which dates back to the end of the eighteenth century. All these cultural assets, combined with natural beauty, form a unique tourist treasure that would be permanently devastated in every sense by the construction of these installations. That loss we would have cannot be compensated by the rather uncertain benefits that these wind turbines provide. Besides, not everything is for sale. The state has already sold (42 percent) and in cooperation with investors devastated Sveti Stefan and Miločer, and this project would completely finish this region of ours and turn us into a low-ranking tourist destination and transit zone," the letter states.
Representatives of the five local communities state that the announced construction of a four-lane expressway through the villages of Pastrovsk, very close to the planned wind power plant, should also be taken into account.
"The eventual construction of a wind farm next to the expressway gives the investor a strategic position in the sale of electricity to electric cars, of which there will be more and more in the future. Information is already spreading widely in the media that the growth in the production of electric cars in America is encouraging the construction of new wind farms in strategic places along roads. Such a scenario, which the investor probably has in mind, would turn us into a transit and energy hub, from which the local community would not have any benefits, but only immeasurable damage to tourism and permanently devastated cultural and natural heritage", emphasize the locals.
They point out that they have "nothing against investors or green energy, but this project must be done somewhere else, far from tourism, natural beauty and our rich cultural heritage".
"Our cultural treasures are part of the European cultural heritage, so it is in the interest of all European citizens that this jewel remains preserved for future generations. We recently launched a petition against the construction of the Brajići VE, and there is a great response from the local population. We already have about a thousand signatures, a large part of which is from the territory of Paštrović and Brajić, which are the most threatened, as well as from Main, Pobor, Grblje and all of Budva. A significant part of the copies of these signatures has already been handed over to the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism in December. It should also be mentioned that numerous relevant sources indicate that wind farms are often not economically profitable even in the industrially developed West, bearing in mind numerous negative externalities that cannot be compensated by the benefits that wind farms provide. In our case, the damage would be many times greater because we are, first of all, a country that is largely dependent on tourism, which is clearly proven by the year 2020, therefore we must not gamble with our basic economic branch", they state in the letter.
They expect the prime minister to understand the gravity of this problem and the possible consequences for tourism, as well as natural and cultural heritage, which form an inseparable part of our rich tourist offer.
"We repeat again, tourists come here for the natural beauty and do not want to see industrial installations. We are not against green energy, but we suggest that investors be offered another location in Montenegro, where there is no danger to tourism and natural and cultural heritage. Let's emulate the wise people of Dubrovnik who did not allow a wind farm in their vicinity," the letter states.
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