On Thursday, the state parliament finally wants to decide on the loosening of the distance rules for the wind turbines, which has been debated for months. In view of the energy crisis, the Greens are far too slow.
Munich (dpa/lby) - Shortly before the final vote in the state parliament on the relaxation plans for the distance rules for wind turbines, the Greens are tightening their demands for the expansion of wind power in Bavaria. "400 wind turbines in the state forest in the next four years - that's ambitious, but doable," said parliamentary group leader Ludwig Hartmann of the German Press Agency on Monday in Munich. The expansion of wind energy is about speed. "We can now send the wind power express train on state-owned land."
So far, the Greens had always spoken of 400 wind turbines in the state forests by 2030, but Hartmann is now urging even more haste. What is also new is that the Greens no longer rely on external investors, but want to finance the systems from state-owned funds.
Despite the state government's declarations of intent for more wind power, expansion in Bavaria is still stagnant, says Hartmann. More progress should finally be visible: "In the state forest we can start building wind turbines tomorrow. The state government has the reins of action directly in its hands." Through the Bavarian State Forests, the Free State itself can become a producer of renewable energy. Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) can set an example and "directly, quickly and quickly give momentum" to the expansion of wind power in Bavaria on state property.
The Bavarian State Forests are a company owned by the Free State. According to Hartmann, this results in a clear advantage: "The time-consuming search for land is no longer necessary and we gain speed. The Free State can immediately commission planning offices and implement the wind turbines. This is a huge opportunity for a big wave in wind power expansion in Bavaria."
In 2019, the state government set itself the goal of building around 100 wind turbines in the state forest in its climate protection program. "Nothing has happened since then. As early as 2019, 101 wind turbines turned in the state forest - not a single one has been added since then. Dawdling, printing, announcing - that's all there is to Mr. Söder's expansion package for wind power," emphasized Hartmann.
But the fact is that Bayern is running out of time. "If we want to stand on solid energy policy foundations in the medium term after the current energy crisis, we must push ahead with the expansion of renewable energies now. Especially in wind energy, where Bavaria has so much catching up to do," said Hartmann.
Many could benefit from the construction of the wind turbines. "If the first 400 wind turbines in the state forest remain in the possession of the state forest, they all belong to us - the bus driver as well as the dentist," said Hartmann. "This is civic participation par excellence." In addition, there would be an additional source of income from which the state forest would benefit directly, because proceeds from wind power could also flow directly into forest conversion. "We all win because we quickly and easily tap into an independent and secure source of energy."
Söder had recently spoken out in favor of more speed with renewables. However, he did not name any concrete suggestions or even guidelines. After a year-long dispute with the opposition and internal debates, the CSU had spoken out in favor of subtle easing of the controversial 10H distance rule in view of the energy shortage and dependence on Russian gas. The fact that the CSU ultimately moved was also due to the fact that the federal government could otherwise have completely eliminated the regulatory powers of the states.
The 10H rule stipulates that the distance from a wind turbine to the next settlement should generally be ten times the construction height. In the future, the 10H rule will no longer apply along motorways or rail networks or wherever there are already wind turbines.
With this regulation, which goes back to the former Prime Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU), the state government had largely brought wind turbine construction in Bavaria to a standstill. Since wind turbines have to be planned and approved before they can be built, it will take some time for the relaxation to be reflected in the expansion figures.
