Court orders dismantling of French wind farm over bird deaths

In a ruling published on 7 December, the Nîmes appeal court upheld a previous decision that demanded the immediate “demolition of all the wind turbines” and restoration of the site within 15 months. 

Daily fines of €3,000 are to be paid by developer Energies Renouvelables du Languedoc-Valeco, a subsidiary of German energy company EnBW, if it does not comply with the demolition order. 

The onshore wind farm was commissioned in 2016 and is located near the southern town of Lunas in Languedoc, France. 

It has been the subject of a series of legal proceedings brought by residents and conservation groups, with the latter arguing that it was directly harmful to wildlife in the area, including golden eagles. 

French media reported that the body of a golden eagle deemed to have been killed by a wind turbine blade was found at the wind farm in January. 

The developer was originally ordered to dismantle the wind farm by a court in Montpellier in 2021 but won an appeal against the ruling. However, this was overturned by the France’s Court of Cassation earlier this year, a decision that was then upheld by the appeal court in Nîmes on 7 December.

A study had found that the wind farm had led to the deaths of more than 1,000 birds and bats.

An earlier judgement also pointed out that the impact assessment submitted in 2013 during the development process for the wind farm was “insufficient”, which resulted in its construction in an area where golden eagles were nesting.

EnBW told Windpower Monthly its Valeco subsidiary would be appeling the decision with France’s Supreme Court.