The Sustainable development model of the Kafireas wind farm

Enel Green Power’s presence in Greece has brought a breath of fresh air with numerous social, economic and environmental benefits. The various wind farms waving the EGP flag in Greece, not the least of which is Kafireas, located in the southern part of the island of Evia, in the town of Karystos, represent opportunities for sustainable growth. A plant that, once operational, in 2019, will have a total installed capacity of 154 MW and will be the largest wind farm in the country. Kafireas will contribute not only to increasing the amount of green energy produced in Greece, but will bring a series of positive impacts for the local community, and is a significant stimulus for the local economy. At the worksite, about 200 local people have found jobs working on the construction of the wind farm and the related infrastructure. They started with the road needed to reach the wind farm that, as an added value, will allow residents and tourists to visit remote areas to admire the natural beauty of this part of the island. The Kafireas wind farm, an example of Sustainable Development Small entrepreneurs and professionals from the area also benefit from the wind farm’s presence. Partnerships have been formed with restaurants and hotels to meet the needs of the workers employed at the construction site. EGP’s presence on site guarantees revenue for the town of Karystos and to all the local administrations that host wind farms, or small hydroelectric plants, thanks to a compensation mechanism. A percentage of 1% of the annual gross revenues of each wind farm is discounted on consumers’ bills. Municipality receives another 1.7% of the turnover of each wind farm that is levied from the producers by LAGIE (Operator of Electricity Market) while another 0.3% portion is put into a Green Fund. There have also been sponsorships in sporting and cultural events and social projects, like the creation of a small clinic with an experienced medical staff, a point of reference for local residents. For all of these reasons, Kafireas is really an example of the “sustainable worksite” in Greece, incorporated into the model of Creating Shared Value, which combines the needs of the business with those of the territories where we bring energy. A comprehensive view of environmental sustainability Kafireas project follows the standard of our Sustainable worksite that put in to effect the EGP approach based on our Creating Shared Value model. By means of the CSV approach, environmental and social sustainability is at the base of our business and provides support to the company for every choices and approaches in project development, design, construction and operation, focusing on protection the environment, rational use of resources, attention to health and safety, innovation, circular economy and to stakeholder interests. During the construction phase, we gave ourselves a few specific goals to measure 7 sustainability aspects connected to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), measured according to global standards on sustainability. We are committed to the Kastanologgos Forest revival - a chestnut grove, a thousand metres in altitude, located to the east of Ochi, and we’ve prepared a plan for the reforestation of the Platanistos area, devastated by wildfires. All of the wind farms built in Greece fall within the areas designated by the Greek government as Wind Priority Areas (WPA) and Wind Sustainability Areas (WSA). All the projects successfully passed the environmental impact evaluation (VIA) that carefully examines the wind farm’s impact on the surrounding environment and regulates all phases of plant life: construction, functioning and disuse.

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The Sustainable development model of the Kafireas wind farm

The Sustainable development model of the Kafireas wind farm

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