Court ruling raises questions over status of wind farms
THE AGRICULTURAL Land Reform Office (ALRO) will hold a meeting with the Energy Ministry next week to find solutions to problems resulting from a court ruling that some farming-designated land plots were misused for wind-farm projects.
Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Minister General Chatchai Salikulya said he had instructed the ALRO to recheck the legal status of land rental contracts for wind-farm projects signed with a total of 18 companies. The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that a contract signed with Thep Sathit Wind Farm Co must be revoked due to misuse of land.
ALRO secretary-general Sompong In-thong said the agency is supposed to complete its legal checks of all land rental contracts by February 15 and will discuss with counterparts at the Energy Ministry solutions to the problems resulting from the court order.
The court ruled that the Thep Sathit project did not meet the ALRO criteria in terms of using farming-designated land plots for the benefit of farmers. Land rental contracts awarded to private companies for wind-farm projects cover a total area of 280 rai in Nakhon Ratchasima and 341 rai in Chaiyaphum province.