Schwerin (dpa/mv) - For the accelerated expansion of wind power use, the state government is cutting the responsibilities of the districts. Instead of the district administrations, the State Offices for Agriculture and the Environment are to take over the legal nature and species protection tests in the future. "In this way, we ensure that the applications are processed more stringently without making technical cutbacks," said Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) on Tuesday in Schwerin. He had previously submitted a corresponding bill to the cabinet. Accordingly, the four state offices, in which the approval procedures for wind farms converge, are to receive a total of 15 additional staff positions, later even more.
According to the minister, approval procedures are currently taking too long. "We have to change that if we are serious about the energy transition," he emphasized. The governing factions of the SPD and Left have made it clear that they want to get the bill through the parliamentary process as quickly as possible. "I would be very happy if the draft law were passed by the state parliament this year and could come into force on January 1, 2023," said Backhaus.
A joint letter from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Environment had already become known last week, with which the planning authorities in the state were warned to consistently implement the amended federal laws for the expansion of renewable energies and thus ensure more speed. According to Hannes Damm, Member of the Green Party, the processing time for applications for wind farms in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is 38 months on average, which is significantly longer than the national average. Currently, about 190 procedures with a total of more than 800 wind turbines are still open in the north-east. The delays are often related to research into the impact of the wind turbines on protected bird species.
Damm called on the red-red state government to follow the example of Schleswig-Holstein and bring wind energy planning, which is currently still in the hands of the four regional associations, to the state level. Economics Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD) has already considered this in view of the enormous planning backlog, but has so far shied away from open confrontation with the municipal associations.
