Environmental Impact Assessment Analysis in the Kahak’s Wind Farm

Abstract

The relationship between the environment and green projects has become an important issue since the 1970s. This issue is of particular importance for Iran, which seeks to solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by the consumption of fossil fuels and also seeks to increase the participation of green energy in the economy through the development of green projects. This study aims to investigate the environmental impact of the Kahak wind farm project in the Qazvin province of Iran. In this regard, the opinions of 10 green project experts and the Riam matrix method were used as a flexible and acceptable method in calculating the environmental impact of economic projects in this paper. The results revealed that this wind farm project positively impacts air quality and climate, social welfare, and hydraulic resource. At the same time, patrimony, fauna, and vegetation are affected negatively by this project. As the practical policy implications, the paper recommends strategies to increase private sector participation, combined location of green projects based on feasibility and environmental impacts, and establishment of Regional Green Development Projects (RGDP).