• Hauts-de-France has just voted a grant to an association fighting against the installation of wind turbines.

  • The “Stop Éoliennes Hauts-de-France” federation will receive 170,000 euros in three years.

  • The regional president, Xavier Bertrand, assumes this decision, hammering that he wants an energy mix but “without wind turbines”.

This is not new and he has never hidden it, Xavier Bertrand has a grudge against wind turbines, preferring nuclear, solar or methanisation.

In addition to putting spokes in the wheels of promoters wishing to create new parks in Hauts-de-France, he decided to give a helping hand, in the form of a grant, to an association which fights against the development of this mode of electricity production.

The deliberation was voted on this Thursday, during the permanent commission of Hauts-de-France which was held in Amiens, in the Somme.

"The Region signs an agreement with the ''Fédération Stop Éoliennes'' so that local associations can act and inform the inhabitants".

Concretely, this corresponds to a subsidy of 170,000 euros over three years with a first payment of 40,000 euros starting this year.

"The Region has chosen to defend the earthen pot"

"I was committed to it during the 2021 regional campaign: we have just voted a grant to a federation of associations to help fight against the anarchic development of wind power", welcomed Xavier Bertrand on Twitter.

"Faced with the iron pot that are the promoters, the Region has chosen to defend the earthen pot", he added.

Created in January 2022, this federation brings together 8 associations in the 5 departments of the region.

Its purpose is to "oppose wind projects in the heights of France in order to protect the environment and heritage, in particular classified and registered" as specified in the statutes filed with the prefecture.

On the opposition side, the pill is struggling to pass.

“The money from Hauts-de-France should not be used to finance an association which publishes climatosceptic positions”, protests Thomas Hutin, regional ecological adviser.

“While in Hauts-de-France, demagoguery generously finances an anti-wind association, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark are pulling out all the stops and will multiply their production of offshore wind energy by 10 d here 2050!

“, underlines Damien Carême, MEP and former mayor of Grande-Synthe.

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