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The federal government and the EU want to push forward the expansion of wind energy – with faster approvals. Conservationists fear serious consequences for the environment and have objections, as a case in Rhineland-Palatinate shows.
It’s not just about the red kite and other bird species. The Wildenburger Land, located in the very north of Rhineland-Palatinate, is a hotspot for “biodiversity, species diversity, near-natural forests and undestroyed habitats,” says Harry Neumann, federal chairman of the “Nature Conservation Initiative” association based in the Westerwald.
The Wildenburger Land is characterized, among other things, by rows of trees, hedge structures, small forests, streams – an “undisturbed landscape up to the horizon”. Seven wind turbines are now to be built here, in the landscape protection area. The nature conservation initiative fears serious consequences: “The construction of wind turbines would amount to an irresponsible industrialization of this landscape,” says Neumann.
The conflict over wind power is not new here, but has been going on for years. It illustrates how interests in landscape protection clash with those in the expansion of renewable energies – and what consequences this has for the approval process. A lot is moving here, not least in the Wildenburger Land.
Rejected wind turbines now built
In 2020, the responsible district of Altenkirchen rejected the construction and operation of the seven wind turbines. After a decision by the Higher Administrative Court in Koblenz, the district approved the wind turbines a few weeks ago.
Several legal changes were crucial, as the district administration reported upon request. Among other things: the amendment to the Renewable Energy Act that was passed a little over a year ago. This stipulates that renewable energies are in the “overriding public interest”. When weighing things up, expansion takes priority. “It would be difficult to find a counter-argument here that is of the same or greater value,” says the Altenkirchen district administration.
“Major attack on classic nature conservation”
From the perspective of the nature conservation initiative, the EEG amendment and the traffic light coalition’s climate policy are a “major attack on classic nature conservation”. The wind power industry naturally sees things differently. “We see significantly more initiative here than from previous governments,” says Bärbel Heidebroek, President of the “Federal Wind Energy Association” (BWE), with a view to the EEG amendment.
However, the association still recognizes many obstacles to the expansion of wind energy, which go beyond the resistance of citizens’ initiatives and nature conservation associations. “We still have excessively extensive bureaucratic requirements in the approval process, coupled with insufficiently strict deadlines. Added to this is the tense personnel situation in the responsible approval authorities and insufficient digitalization of the processes,” says Heidebroek.
Two years for Approval process
This is also reflected in the numbers. According to an analysis by the onshore wind energy agency, it takes more than two years until the approval process for wind turbines is completed. Overall, the expansion still lags behind the political will of the federal government. As the BWE reports, 1.9 wind turbines were built per day in the current year. For comparison: At the beginning of the year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “four to five wind turbines should be added every day” by 2030.
The EU Commission also wants to increase the pace of expansion of wind power. The implementation of the so-called EU emergency regulation, which was issued against the background of the energy crisis, plays a role here. The member states can therefore waive environmental impact assessments when planning wind turbines in designated areas. The prerequisite is that similar checks were carried out when the area was designated.
Emergency regulation could be extended
The EU Commission is now planning, among other things, an online tool in a “wind power package” that will support member states in the approval process. In addition, the emergency regulation could be extended. Currently, the regulation would expire in the middle of next year.
“The EU emergency regulation has made a noticeable contribution to accelerating the expansion,” says BWE President Bärbel Heidebroek. In addition, the new design of the EU Renewable Energy Directive that has been initiated must be implemented quickly in Germany. This plans to significantly increase the share of renewables within the EU to at least 42.5 percent by 2030.
The dispute will continue
The nature conservation initiative sees “serious consequences” for nature and species protection as a result of the EU emergency regulation. The conservationists also don’t want to simply accept the wind turbines in the Wildenburger Land. The association has lodged an objection against the construction of the seven facilities. In the end, a lawsuit could possibly come into question, says chairman Harry Neumann. In any case, the district expects further delays in the construction of the facilities.
The dispute is unlikely to only continue here. There could be further regional conflicts, as significantly more areas across the country are to be designated for wind power in the next few years.