As a child, Ante Ivkovic from Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, herded sheep with his father on these hills. Now, without his knowledge or consent, a Chinese company has built a wind farm here, worth around €160 million ($170 million), he says.
"One morning, I went outside and saw an excavator digging up my field. When I approached it, a Chinese construction manager made it clear, using his phone [to translate], that I had no business there and needed to leave," Ivkovic says.
Now 73, the retired farmer explains how it all began. An influential politician, Stjepan Matkovic, secured a wind farm concession from local authorities for just a few hundred euros. This concession was later sold to a Chinese company for millions—all without Ivkovic's knowledge. Key documents proving his ownership have since vanished, leaving him without any current deeds to the property.
"Matkovic got the concession in 2007. He was a minister in the district government, and his plan was to build 12 turbines," Ivkovic says.
Many residents, including Ivkovic's family, left Livno over 30 years ago for work abroad, leaving behind their homes and land. Now, some are returning, renovating their properties, and reclaiming their land.
"I'm a pensioner, you know, a Bosnian retiree. And now, I have to fight with the authorities to get my land back. It's absurd," Ivkovi says.
The Chinese wind farm company, headquartered in the capital Sarajevo, declined to comment on camera. In an email, they stated they relied on Bosnian documents that confirmed the concession's legality and claimed there were no unresolved ownership issues.
Ivkovic, with the help of his lawyer, is pursuing legal action to prove his ownership. His lawyer is gathering evidence from archives to build the case.
"They could have easily checked the land registry or hired an expert to confirm who owns the land within the wind farm area," says lawyer Perica Babic.
Chinese wind energy companies have been aggressively expanding into the European market, undercutting European competitors by significant margins, thanks to state subsidies. This is evident not only in Bosnia, but also in neighboring Croatia.
"One part is an economic issue of overcapacity in China, and the Communist Party is encouraging Chinese companies to move out into the world, to move production into the world," says Zoltan Feher from the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub
"It's also part of Chinese expansion into Europe. They want to have stronger influence, politically and economically in the European Union, but they know that one of the jumping boards, so to say, for their influence efforts into the European Union is the Western Balkans."
The EU has taken notice. Under Ursula von der Leyen's leadership, the EU is scrutinizing Chinese wind farms, investigating whether state subsidies are giving them an unfair advantage over European competitors. Lobbyists warn that with every new wind farm, China tightens its grip on Europe's energy supply.
"On a modern wind turbine there are around 300 sensors on the different components of the turbine, which are giving information to the wind farm owner and operator, and to the turbine manufacturer about the performance. And many people in Europe are saying, 'do we want to give that power to entities outside of Europe to control the functioning of wind turbines?'," says Giles Dickson, the CEO of WindEurope.
But in the village of Livno, such global concerns seem far removed. Retiree Ivkovic doesn't expect the wind farm to be dismantled, but he is determined to fight for fair compensation.
"I just want them to contact me. What's done is done. But I want them to come forward, so we can reach an agreement," Ivkovic says.
Will a retiree be able to assert his rights against a 160-million-euro project? This case will help determine how much property rights are worth in Bosnia and Herzegovina.