Wind farm development is expanding in Latvia, and noise is an important part of the planning and environmental assessment process. For developers, understanding noise early can help with turbine placement, project design and mitigation. For residents, understanding how noise is assessed makes it easier to interpret the information provided during an environmental impact assessment.
The regulatory framework is also developing. Amendments to Latvia's Electricity Market Law adopted in 2026 require the Cabinet of Ministers to establish specific operating requirements for wind power plants, including permissible noise limits, by 31 December 2026. Until those new requirements enter into force, the applicable regulatory framework and project-specific conditions remain important when assessing individual wind projects.
Why Is Wind Farm Noise an Important Issue in Latvia?
Latvia is developing a growing number of wind energy projects. The state-owned joint venture Latvijas vēja parki, established by Latvenergo and Latvijas valsts meži, has a long-term objective of developing wind parks with at least 800 MW of combined capacity by 2030. At the same time, other developers are progressing with separate projects, including the 108.8 MW Laflora Energy project and the 147 MW Pienava Wind project.
Noise therefore needs to be considered during project planning rather than only after turbines are operating. For a proposed wind farm, noise modelling can be used to predict the expected noise levels at nearby properties and other sensitive locations before construction takes place.
How Is Wind Turbine Noise Assessed?
For a proposed wind farm, the assessment normally starts with information about the turbines, their locations and the surrounding environment. A noise model can then be used to calculate how sound from the turbines is expected to propagate across the area.
Latvia's Cabinet Regulation No. 16, "Trokšņa novērtēšanas un pārvaldības kārtība", establishes environmental-noise indicators, assessment conditions and calculation methods. Importantly, the regulation states that environmental-noise predictions are made using calculation methods rather than simply relying on a short-term measurement.
The applicable noise limit also depends on the type of surrounding territory. For example, under the current Regulation No. 16 framework, the environmental-noise limits for areas with detached, low-rise or farmstead residential buildings are 55 dB(A) during the day, 50 dB(A) in the evening and 45 dB(A) at night. Different limits apply to multi-storey residential areas, public-use areas and other land-use categories, so the correct limit must be determined from the relevant land-use designation rather than applying one number to every property.
Why Does Low-Frequency Noise Need Attention?
Wind turbines produce sound across a broad range of frequencies, including lower-frequency components. These components can be considered separately from the overall environmental noise indicator because a conventional A-weighted value does not describe every part of the frequency spectrum equally.
This is an area where Latvia's regulatory framework is currently developing. The State Environmental Service's guidance for assessing wind-energy projects recognises low-frequency noise as a separate issue and notes that the standard environmental-noise assessment used in Latvia does not cover the same low-frequency range.
A 2026 draft of the proposed Wind Power Plant Operating Requirements includes a specific methodology for predicting low-frequency noise in one-third-octave bands from 10 to 160 Hz. The draft also proposes a 20 dB(A) criterion for the summed low-frequency noise at the assessment location and calculations based on turbine sound-power data at wind speeds of 6 and 8 m/s measured at 10 m height. However, this is important: the document is a draft, not something that should currently be presented as an already-established Latvian statutory limit.
For this reason, a current project assessment should clearly distinguish between requirements that are already legally applicable and methods or criteria contained in draft regulations or project-specific documentation.
Why Does Wind Speed Matter?
Wind turbine noise is closely related to operating conditions. The sound produced by a turbine can change as wind speed changes, while the background acoustic environment can also vary with weather and other sources.
A short measurement taken during one period therefore cannot by itself describe the future noise exposure from a wind farm that has not yet been constructed. For planned projects, noise modelling allows different operating conditions to be assessed and provides a way to predict noise levels at surrounding properties.
Meteorological information can also form an important part of the assessment. Depending on the methodology and project requirements, information about wind speed, wind direction and other relevant conditions can be incorporated into the assessment to understand how the predicted noise may vary under different operating conditions.
What About Several Turbines or Nearby Wind Farms?
A wind farm is rarely assessed as if each turbine were operating completely independently of the others. Where several turbines contribute noise to the same residential property or other assessment location, their combined contribution needs to be considered.
The same principle becomes particularly important when a proposed project is located near other existing or planned wind turbines. The current Latvian framework provides for the assessment of environmental noise and, where several wind turbines contribute to the noise, the combined impact can be relevant to the assessment. The proposed 2026 wind-turbine rules likewise specifically address the summed contribution of multiple turbines.
This means that looking only at the distance from one turbine to one house may not provide a complete picture. The turbine layout, terrain, other sources and the contribution of the wider project all need to be considered.
How Far From a House Does a Wind Turbine Need to Be?
Latvia has specific planning-distance requirements for wind turbines. Under the current General Regulations for Territorial Planning, Use and Development, turbines with a capacity from 20 kW to 2 MW must be at least 500 metres from residential and public buildings, while turbines above 2 MW must be at least 800 metres away. The regulation defines the distance in relation to the planned turbine and wind-park boundary.
These distances should not be confused with a noise limit. A setback provides a planning constraint, while noise modelling assesses the expected acoustic impact at relevant locations. A project still needs to be assessed against the applicable environmental and project-specific requirements.
The environmental impact assessment can also establish additional conditions where necessary. The planning regulations specifically state that conditions and minimum distances may be determined through the environmental impact assessment to protect birds and other natural values.
What Happens During an Environmental Impact Assessment?
For a proposed wind farm, noise is considered as part of the wider environmental assessment rather than being treated as a completely separate issue.
The assessment can include the planned turbine models, locations, operating characteristics and surrounding sensitive receptors. The predicted noise impact can then be calculated and presented as part of the environmental documentation. Depending on the project, existing measurements may also be useful for describing the current acoustic environment before construction.
The result should provide a clear picture of the predicted noise impact and the assumptions used to calculate it. If the assessment identifies potential problems, the project design or operating conditions can be adjusted and additional mitigation measures can be considered.
What Does This Mean for Developers?
For developers, noise should be considered while the turbine layout is still being developed. Turbine positions, turbine model, hub height, operating conditions and the relationship between the project and nearby properties can all influence the predicted noise impact.
Carrying out the modelling early can also make it easier to compare alternative layouts and identify potential mitigation measures before the project reaches a later design stage. This is generally more useful than discovering an acoustic issue after the layout and equipment have already been fixed.
The assessment should also consider whether other wind turbines or significant noise sources could contribute to the acoustic environment around the project. This is particularly relevant for areas where several energy projects are being developed within the same wider region.
What Does This Mean for Residents?
For residents, the most useful information is not simply the distance to the nearest turbine. The important questions are what noise levels are predicted at the property, which turbines contribute to those levels, what operating conditions have been modelled and which criteria have been applied.
Environmental impact documentation can provide information about the predicted noise impact and the methodology used to calculate it. Where concerns remain, the underlying assumptions, turbine specifications, assessment locations and cumulative effects can be examined rather than relying only on a general statement that the project will comply with noise requirements.
Once a wind farm is operating, noise measurements can also be used to investigate actual noise levels. This is different from the predictive modelling carried out before construction, because measurements provide information about the acoustic conditions that actually occur at the site.
Why Professional Wind Turbine Noise Modelling Matters
Wind turbine noise assessment involves more than calculating a simple distance between a turbine and a house. The turbine's acoustic characteristics, its location, terrain, surrounding buildings, other turbines and relevant operating conditions can all affect the predicted result.
Professional modelling provides a structured way to bring these factors together and assess the expected noise impact at relevant locations. It can also help developers test different layouts or mitigation measures and provide residents and authorities with clearer technical information during the planning process.
Wind Turbine Noise Modelling and Measurement in Latvia
NoiseHunters provides wind turbine noise modelling and acoustic measurement services throughout Latvia. Our work can support wind-energy projects at the planning and environmental-assessment stage, as well as investigations at existing operating sites.
Depending on the project, the assessment can consider environmental noise, low-frequency components, multiple turbines and the surrounding acoustic environment. We can review the available project information and determine what type of modelling or measurement is appropriate for the specific situation.
If you are developing a wind farm or want an independent assessment of noise from an existing wind turbine, contact NoiseHunters to discuss the project and the required scope.
Disclaimer: Wind-turbine noise requirements in Latvia are evolving, and the applicable criteria can depend on the date of the project, its approval documents, land-use designation and other project-specific conditions. The 2026 wind-turbine operating requirements referenced above were still under development at the time of writing and should not be treated as current binding requirements until formally adopted and in force. This article provides general information and is not a substitute for a project-specific environmental or legal assessment.