Summary

A proposed 52.8 MW wind farm near Asi Gonia, involving eight turbines of around 185 metres each and extensive new road construction through the White Mountains, has been unanimously rejected by the Apokoronas municipal council. The council has formally written to the Greek Parliament requesting an immediate debate and the withdrawal of the project's licensing process. It argues that a comprehensive environmental assessment is needed before any approval can be considered, including impacts on the Kournas Lake area, the Azilakos forest, local birdlife and pastoral land.

Wind farm proposed above Asi Gonia draws unanimous opposition from Apokoronas council

A plan to build eight wind turbines in the mountains above Asi Gonia, in the heart of the White Mountains of western Crete, has triggered a formal political response from the Apokoronas municipality. The proposed installation would have a total capacity of 52.8 MW, with each of the eight turbines rated at 6.6 MW and standing approximately 185 metres tall.

According to the planning documents, the project would also require 6.5 kilometres of entirely new roads and the widening of a further 8.5 kilometres of existing tracks — with some bends requiring carriageways up to 50 metres wide.

What the project would affect

The municipality says the site encompasses some of the most environmentally and economically significant land in the region. Among the areas it says would be affected:

Landscape: the White Mountains (Lefká Óri) and the Azilakos forest

Water: resources connected to the Kournas Lake catchment area

Wildlife: local biodiversity, bird populations and grazing land

Livelihoods: pastoral farming and livestock keeping in the area

Unanimous vote against the project

The Apokoronas municipal council held an extraordinary session, open to residents, and voted unanimously to oppose the project. The mayor's office then sent a formal letter to the President of the Greek Parliament, the leaders of all parliamentary groups and the relevant ministries, requesting an immediate parliamentary debate, a full assessment of environmental impacts, and the withdrawal of the project from the licensing process.

The municipality also invoked the "Apátita Vounά" (Untouched Mountains) initiative, which calls for strict limits on new road construction and technical interventions within designated mountain areas. The council argues that even if individual turbine positions fall outside formally protected zones, the overall environmental impact must be assessed as a whole rather than in isolated parts.

Energy transition versus environmental protection

The municipality's position, as stated in its press release, is that the energy transition cannot serve as justification for destroying natural resources, and that energy production should not take priority over environmental protection. This is the council's argument — no response from the project developers or the licensing authority is included in the source material.

The municipality is calling on members of parliament across all parties to support the protection of the area and help block the project from advancing further.

PRESS RELEASE – Koukianakis: "Apokoronas demands answers from Parliament – No to the environmental plundering of our mountains"

October 14, 2026, 11:06 AM

The Mayor of Apokoronas takes the battle to the Greek Parliament – He requests the withdrawal of the 52.8 MW wind energy plan at Asi Gonia and effective protection of the White Mountains, Azilakos, Lake Kournas and the wider area.

The Mayor of Apokoronas, Charalampos Koukianakis, is requesting the immediate intervention of the President of the Parliament, the leaders of the parliamentary parties and the competent Ministries, through an official letter, bringing the issue of the planned wind energy project with a capacity of 52.8 MW at Asi Gonia to parliamentary level.

The request is clear: immediate discussion in Parliament, full assessment of impacts and political intervention for the withdrawal of the specific plan and the non-advancement of its licensing.

This initiative expresses the unanimous decision of the Municipal Council of Apokoronas, which, in an extraordinary session held in the presence of citizens, categorically opposed the installation of the project.

185 metres in height. 15 kilometres of roads.

According to the planning data, eight wind turbines of 6.6 MW each and approximately 185 metres in height are planned, along with the opening of 6.5 kilometres of new roads and the widening of approximately 8.5 kilometres of existing roads, with a width reaching up to 50 metres at bends.

At the centre of the issue are the White Mountains, the Azilakos forest, the wider area of Lake Kournas, water resources, biodiversity, birdlife, grazing lands and livestock farming — elements inextricably linked to the economy, history and life of Crete.

Mayor of Apokoronas Charalampos Koukianakis emphasises that the energy transition cannot be turned into an alibi for the destruction of natural wealth. Energy production cannot take precedence over environmental protection, nor can our mountains be treated as available land for exploitation.

The Municipality also emphatically raises the issue of the institutional protection of the White Mountains through the "Apátita Vounά" (Untouched Mountains) initiative, which provides, within the demarcated areas, strict restrictions on new road openings and technical interventions.

It requests full clarification of the relationship of the planned project with the applicable institutional framework and assessment of its impacts on the wider ecosystem, even if individual installations are located outside the specific boundaries. Environmental protection requires an overall assessment and not fragmentary evaluations that leave out the real consequences of such a large-scale intervention.

"We have no right to hand over a wounded place to our children," states the Mayor of Apokoronas.

Apokoronas stands against a plan that threatens to irreversibly alter the character of a place of unique environmental and productive value.

The White Mountains are the soul of Crete, our history and identity; Azilakos, Asi Gonia and the area of Lake Kournas are our homeland and the heritage we have inherited and have a duty to hand on intact.

The Mayor of Apokoronas calls on the parliamentary and political representatives of the country to assume their responsibilities, to actively support the protection of the area and to contribute to preventing a plan that provokes justified and well-founded concern in the local community.

In conclusion, the Mayor of Apokoronas states: our mountains are no one's spoils; they do not belong to us to destroy — they were entrusted to us to protect. Apokoronas will not be silent, will not compromise with faits accomplis and will not relinquish its right to defend its homeland.