“Expand domestic energies, secure jobs, maintain prosperity”: This is the motto under which more and more mayors throughout Bavaria have been calling on Prime Minister Markus Söder for months to massively accelerate the energy transition and, above all, the expansion of wind power in this country. In the end it was 432 heads of town hall who signed the appeal “Together successfully renewable”. That is more than a fifth of all town hall bosses in the Free State.
But that is not the only special feature. 130 signatories belong to the CSU, the party that has for years blocked the expansion of wind power in Bavaria to the best of its ability. Also among the initiators of the appeal are CSU politicians, the mayor of the 850-resident town of Kühlental (Augsburg district), Iris Harms, for example. She says: “I think it’s very important that energy is generated locally and decentrally.” The appeal states, among other things: “The rapid expansion of wind energy and solar systems as well as geothermal energy in all districts of Bavaria is elementary in order to secure the energy supply, create new jobs and maintain local added value.” Above all, the mayors are demanding speedy approval procedures and financial participation by the population in the eco-power plants.
On Wednesday, Söder received the appeal at a short-notice appointment in Munich at the State Chancellery. He later tweeted what one could expect from him in one way or another before the handover: “Bavaria is great when it comes to expanding renewable energies, but we want more (…) Thank you for this municipal tailwind today and the valuable support. “