Why are plans to build more wind farms in Greece so controversial?

Renewable energy production is rapidly increasing all over Greece. 

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his conservative government have pledged to accelerate clean energy technologies to cover 80 per cent of the country's total energy production by 2030. At present the level is less than 30 per cent.

Ágios Geórgios, a weather-beaten rock in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Athens, boasts 23 wind turbines which generate enough electricity to power more than 40,000 households back on the mainland. 

The government has announced plans to build an additional 1,150 turbines on Greek islands or offshore over the next two decades - that's enough to generate 12 GW of wind power. 

Greece’s installed wind power capacity is expected to reach 6,500 MW within the next three years. Greece's central region accommodates more than half of national installations or 2,293 MW.

This is partially thanks to the 153 wind power stations that were connected to the country's energy grid last year.

Costas Ilias works as an operations manager for Terna Energy, a company taking part in the offshore challenge. “Our vision is to make offshore a reality and try to secure the energy of Greece without any threats from abroad and, of course, to reduce CO2 emissions. Nearby on the coast we have high wind and we have to take advantage of this because it is like having gold,” he told Euronews.

Despite the current push, Greece fell behind on its renewable power goals in recent years. After the solar boom between 2011-2013, when more than 2,000 MW of photovoltaic capacity were installed, a mere 17 MW of new PV capacity were built between 2014–2018. 

Consequently, Greece did not meet its 2020 target of 40 per cent renewables as part of total electricity