Federal Court must rule on Neuchâtel wind farm
Published: Monday, Jul 29th 2024, 11:50
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The company Verrivent has lodged an appeal with the Federal Supreme Court against the annulment of the building permit for the planned Montagne de Buttes wind power plant. It is defending itself against a decision by the Neuchâtel cantonal court. Verrivent is of the opinion that determining the wind turbine models 10 to 15 years before the building permit is granted is counterproductive.
This prevents the latest technological advances from manufacturers from being used, the operating company of the planned wind farm wrote in a press release on Monday. In addition, the models that were available at the time of the public consultation almost ten years ago will no longer be available in 2024, making this requirement impractical.
In mid-June, the Neuchâtel cantonal court upheld an appeal by the Les Travers du Vent association. It declared the building permits issued by the municipalities of Les Verrières, Val-de-Travers and La Côte-aux-Féees null and void.
The complainants had argued that the building permits could not be granted as the type of wind turbine had not been specified. In their view, the choice of model must be made at the time of the building permit. "This argument is well-founded", the court found in its ruling on June 18.
The project on the Montagne de Buttes plateau is supported by the operating company Verrivent, which is owned in equal parts by Groupe E Greenwatt and Services industriels de Genève (SIG). The Federal Supreme Court declared the utilization plan valid last year as part of a different procedure.
There are plans for 19 wind turbines with an expected total annual output of 95 gigawatt hours. This will supply around 28,000 households with renewable energy.
©Keystone/SDA
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