Understanding the assessment
The project to identify the most suitable areas for wind farm development as potential candidate territories, is structured around two main phases: a mapping phase and sensitivity and suitability analysis.
Methodological description and criteria tables are available in English and Ukrainian. The linked documents have been updated to match this publication.
Визначаються території, непридатні для розміщення вітрових електростанцій через правові, екологічні або технічні обмеження.
Результат: найчутливіші ділянки вилучаються з подальшого аналізу.Перевіряються природні, соціальні та інші ризики для решти території з урахуванням потреби уникнення впливів або пом'якшувальних заходів.
Результат: визначення зон, які слід виключити з подальшого оцінювання.Оцінюються вітровий ресурс, природа, соціально-економічні фактори, інфраструктура та землекористування.
Результат: пріоритезація ділянок для подальшого вивчення.During the mapping phase, exclusion criteria were applied to identify and remove areas where wind farm development could potentially result in significant adverse environmental, social, or other impacts, or where development would be incompatible with existing legal, environmental, or technical restrictions. These areas were excluded from further assessment.
The mapping process was based on the methodology and spatial information developed within the REZOMA project. As part of the preparatory work, the available spatial datasets were reviewed to identify opportunities to incorporate more accurate, up-to-date, or higher-resolution data, thereby improving the reliability and spatial precision of the assessment. In parallel, relevant legislation and regulatory requirements were reviewed to determine whether any additional exclusion criteria or changes to existing restrictions needed to be considered. This process ensured that the mapping approach was based on the best available spatial data, reflected the current regulatory framework, and provided a consistent and reliable basis for the subsequent sensitivity and suitability assessment (Step 2).
Stage 1 mapping criteria from the supplied Excel workbook. Buffer distances and listed data sources describe the methodological reference table; actual run settings are controlled by the selected scenario.
| Data group | Criteria | Exclusion distance | Reference | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomic aspects | Cities and villages | 1500 m | Rezoma | OSM |
| Residential and public buildings | 700 m | Ukrainian national standard | OSM | |
| Churches | 600 m | Rezoma | OSM | |
| Cultural heritage (National level) | 100 metres within settlements, · 300 metres outside settlements | Law "On Protection of Cultural Heritage" | Ministry of Culture | |
| UNESCO world heritage | UNESCO-defined buffer zones | Law "On Protection of Cultural Heritage" | UNESCO | |
| Planning constraints and land use | Slope* | 15° | Rezoma | COPERNICUS |
| Elevation | > 1000 m | RES Law (1.10.2026) | COPERNICUS | |
| Rivers and lakes | 400 m | Rezoma | State water cadastre | |
| Sea (Coastal) | 2 km | Water Code of UA | OSM | |
| Forest | 0 m | Rezoma | OSM | |
| Heath | 0 m | Rezoma | OSM | |
| Meadow | 0 m | Rezoma | OSM | |
| Scrub | 0 m | Rezoma | OSM | |
| Natural resource excavation areas | 500 m | Rezoma | OSM | |
| Border strip | -2 km border with Russia and Belarus · -50 m other countries | Law "On the State Border of Ukraine" | PAEW | |
| Infrastructure | Roads | 375 m | total h*1,5 | OSM |
| Railways | 375 m | total h*1,5 | OSM | |
| Energy infrastructure - transmission lines and substations | 375 m | total h*1,5 | OSM | |
| Substations | > 20 km | Rezoma | OSM | |
| Gas and oil pipelines | 400 m | Law ‘On the Legal Status of Land in the Protection Zones of Main Pipeline Facilities’ (Article 11) | OSM | |
| Ammonia pipelines | 1000 m | Law ‘On the Legal Status of Land in the Protection Zones of Main Pipeline Facilities’ (Article 11) | OSM | |
| Airports | Large - 15 000 m · Small - 10 000 m | DBN Б.2.2-12:2019 ‘Land-use planning and development’, clause 11.2.9. | OurAirports (data provider website) | |
| Television and communication towers | 2000 m | DBN Б.2.2-12:2019 ‘Land-use planning and development’ | OSM | |
| Nature values and biodiversity | Nationally and internationally protected areas | 1000 m | Rezoma | WDPA database |
| Wind | Wind potential | <3200 FLH | Rezoma | Global wind atlas |
Areas remaining after mapping were assessed using environmental, social, technical and other relevant criteria to identify locations highly sensitive to wind farm development. Such areas were excluded because of potential environmental constraints.
Reference criteria from STAGE 2 of the supplied Excel workbook. Exclusion 2 removes candidate projects; it does not erase already assessed score cells.
| Data group | Criteria | Exclusion distance | Reference | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomic aspects | UNESCO world heritage (points, polygons) | < 25 km | UNESCO | |
| Planning constraints and land use | Border strip | < 5 km | PAEW | |
| Areas with a probability of flooding of 1% | 0 m | JRC Data Catalogue | ||
| Suitable area for wind farm construction >= 100 MW | <6,5 km2 | Real-case | ||
| Infrastructure | Meteorological radars (C band) | < 20 km | EUMETNET/WMO recommendation | |
| Distance to transmission lines | > 15 km | OSM | ||
| Nature values and biodiversity | Areas with high level density of observations of endangered species | 0 m | GBIF | |
| Plant species or plant communities listed in the Red Book or Green Book | 50 m | GBIF | ||
| Forest | 200 m | EUROBAT guidelines | OSM | |
| Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) | 1000 m | Rezoma | Key biodiversity areas | |
| Important underground sites for bats | 1000 m | Rezoma | EUROBAT | |
| Wind | Existing wind parks | 1000 m | OSM | |
| Occupied territories | Occupied territories | 0 km |
Following the identification of highly sensitive areas, the remaining locations were evaluated on a predefined scale using suitability criteria to compare and prioritize possible wind farm locations. The weighted evaluation groups and their distance or resource bands are provided in the table below.
Revised Stage 3 scoring, as supplied on 12 October 2026. Values describe the evaluation criteria; actual calculations follow the selected tool scenario. Blank soil bands remain blank in the supplied revision.
Buildings and residential zones are evaluated separately from heritage, but not added to populated places as a second population score: the tool uses the lower of the buildings/residential score and the cities/villages score for the population component (75% of the socioeconomic group). Cultural heritage contributes the other 25%. The building source covers OSM building footprints and prepared residential zones; hospitals and other public buildings are included only where present in those inputs, not as a separate hospital scoring rule.
| Data group | Layers | Exclusion criteria | Evaluation parameters | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomic | Cities, villages | 1500 m | 0–1500 m1500–3000 m | 20% |
| Buildings and residential zones (including public buildings where mapped) | Footprint + 700 m exclusion (Step 1) | 0–1500 m>1500–3000 m>3000 m | ||
| Cultural heritage | 100 m within settlements; 300 m outside settlements | 300–1500 m1500–3000 m | ||
| Infrastructure | Energy infrastructure – transmission lines | 375 m | 375–5000 m5000–10,000 m10,000–15,000 m | 30% |
| Distance to roads | 375 m | <5000 m5000–10,000 m10,000–15,000 m | ||
| Substations | 375 m | 375–2000 m2000–5000 m5000–10,000 m10,000–20,000 m | ||
| Nature | Natural reserves, nationally protected areas (WDPA) | Footprints + 1000 m | 1000–2000 m | 25% |
| Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA), including IBA | Footprints + 1000 m | 1000–5000 m5000–10,000 m | ||
| Wind | Wind speed | <3200 FLH | <7 m/s7–8 m/s>8 m/s | 20% |
| Planning constraints and land use | Valuable agricultural land (valuable soils) | 5% |
The geospatial datasets used for this assessment were based on publicly available information obtained from major open-access databases and data platforms. These datasets provide a useful basis for preliminary spatial screening and identification of potential environmental constraints.
The analysis uses a 25 × 25 m spatial assessment cell (625 m²). This resolution supports national screening but limits the precision of local boundaries; it should not be interpreted as a turbine-placement, cadastral or field-survey boundary.
A tool for green rebuilding
The project “Renewables Acceleration Areas in Ukraine – a tool for green rebuilding” contributes to Ukraine’s alignment with EU environmental and climate legislation by identifying potential candidate areas through environmentally responsible spatial planning and renewable-energy screening.
The project is implemented with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.
Estonian, Latvian & Lithuanian Environment (ELLE), together with the Professional Association of Environmentalists of the World (PAEW) in Ukraine, is implementing the project with funding from Latvia’s development cooperation programme administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.
The objective is to support national identification of potential Renewable Acceleration Areas (RAAs), in alignment with the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), environmental protection requirements and sustainable spatial planning.
The identified territories are candidates only. They have not been legally designated as RAAs under this project and do not automatically qualify for accelerated permitting.
Till now several mapping projects have been conducted in Ukraine, each applying different methodologies and criteria to identify more suitable areas for wind farm development:
Start with the study-area total or select an oblast. Published totals come from the model's analytical summary. Selecting an oblast filters the oblast-split candidate polygons when that layer was published; rasters and reference layers stay unchanged.
Use the layer search, five thematic data groups and opacity sliders. Additional archives load on demand. Click a candidate polygon or source feature to view its published attributes. Suitability and area filters apply to candidate polygons, not to source layers.
Candidate territories are preliminary screening outputs, not development approvals. Consult the methodological description, source data limitations and local conditions before using results for project decisions.
