Development of wind farm projects
Kallista Energy Group has a whole team dedicated to the development of wind farms, right from the design of the project through to the repowering, extension or decommissioning. We work in close collaboration with local stakeholders to develop the most suitable project for the territory.
Our priority: to be at the heart of development in local communities
In 2019, Kallista Energy Group paid more than 7% of its turnover in local taxes to municipalities and local communities where its wind farms are located. These tax payments have enabled the communities in to maintain or improve the quality of life of their residents, in a context where State grants and allowances are being reduced. The decentralised and competitive production of electricity is a strong point in terms of the dynamism of local communities.
Designing the best project
The success of an electricity generation project, i.e. its integration into the local community and its ultimate economic viability, is determined right from its development phase. We adopt a comprehensive approach upstream to identify the most appropriate sites, file the authorisation applications and bring together the different parties involved at a local level.
For wind farms, we develop projects from start to finish. We also work on optimising existing wind farms by extending or repowering them in order to obtain the most from the site’s wind potential.
In addition, we only use local independent specialists to realise environmental impact studies that enable us to determine the appropriateness and the quality of the project.
We have worked alongside Kallista Energy since the beginning, to meet the needs of the local residents, farmers, hunters and authorities. The project has been ongoing for ten years and the dialogue between the community and the team at Kallista Energy has been continuous throughout this entire period. Today, I am very proud of the work that we have completed together. We are located on a plateau where there is a lot of wind, and it's really a good thing to be able to take advantage of this. Thanks to the impacts of the wind farm, we can now resolve the ADSL problems faced by the community and renovate the community hall without increasing taxes. And there will be other projects to follow.
I live at 500 metres from the wind farm and I watch over the wind turbines from my veranda! Today, wind turbines are part of our landscape like all other buildings. We have even put a wind turbine in the header of the municipal newsletter to show that we are proud of this farm. At the very beginning, some people may have been apprehensive about the reception of the TV in particular or the noise. With time, we saw that everything was going very well and that all the small mechanical problems were quickly solved. The most important thing is to have a direct contact point at the wind farm operator. For the repowering, as long as the wind turbines remained in the commune, I had no problem with that. The wind farm brings tax benefits that have contributed to several projects in the commune such as the construction of a multi-accommodation area and a new water treatment plant, the restoration of the church, etc.
The wind farm in Trébry was one of the very first to be developed in this part of the department. At that time, it was a curiosity and there was an impressive parade of cars during the construction site. Here, the wind turbines are installed on the crest line of Mont Bel-Air which is the highest point of the Côtes-d’Armor with 339 metres. It seemed logical to have wind turbines here because we have wind. The wind farm has a positive effect on the image of the village. It shows our commitment to sustainable development. When the wind turbines were built, the municipal council also had solar panels installed on communal housing so that more energy could be produced locally. When I knew that the new wind turbines would produce 30% more electricity, I was convinced by the repowering of the farm. We must continue to develop renewable energies to improve the energy autonomy of our region.
Working together to achieve success together
Our projects are based on transparent collaboration at every stage of the project, involving local elected representatives, stakeholders, industries, residents and authorities. Updated information is regularly provided to keep all stakeholders informed about the status of the project. We devote a great deal of attention to feedback and comments from local stakeholders and we integrate all those that will improve the project, within the limits of technical, regulatory and ethical considerations.