The battle took place at sea in the spring when work on the wind farm started in the bay of Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d’Armor). The fight of the fishermen, firmly opposed to the project, is now continuing on the legal ground. At the end of August, they had thus lodged a complaint with the Brest prosecutor’s office against the entire project, notably accusing the builder Ailes Marines of “destroying, altering and degrading biodiversity”.
This Thursday, they attacked before the administrative court of Rennes a decree of September 1 of the maritime prefect of the Atlantic temporarily regulating maritime activities in the bay of Saint-Brieuc during the works. By this summary suspension, they hope for the outright stop of the site. “Fishermen are not opposed to renewable energies, but not at any price,” said Vincent Brenghart, lawyer for the Côtes-d’Armor fisheries committee.
The shell fishing season has just started again
Deploring the “lack of dialogue and consultation” of the public authorities in this case, the lawyer especially highlighted the risks posed by the site on the marine environment and on the activity of fishermen. He cites as proof the two oil leaks reported in June and July on board theAeolus, the vessel in charge of the boreholes. “We still do not know the nature of the product that spilled into the sea and we therefore cannot know whether or not there was pollution,” he said. But the risk exists and the precautionary principle must therefore apply. Because economic considerations should not take precedence over ecological considerations. “
According to him, there is therefore an urgent need to stop the work, especially since the scallop fishing season started on Monday in the bay of Saint-Brieuc. “Just imagine the disaster it would be for fishermen in the event of pollution”, insists Alain Coudray, president of the departmental fisheries committee.
Work will cease during the winter period
Attacked for its decree, the Maritime Prefecture of the Atlantic defended itself during the hearing by considering that the document “did not constitute an authorization for work”. “It just regulates navigation in the works sector in order to avoid any risk of accident and to allow the concessionaire to work in complete safety,” their representative stressed.
Defended by Me Yaël Cambus, the builder Ailes Marines assured that measures had been taken to prevent any new leaks on the site. His lawyer also invoked the cost that would represent the interruption of the site, “of the order of 700,000 to 800,000 euros per day”, specifying also that the work would cease at the end of October or the beginning of November for the entire winter period. After examining the case, the summary judge should render her decision in the course of next week.