Priority areas: minimum distance of only 1,000 meters
In priority areas for wind power, the minimum distance between wind turbines and residential buildings will drop to 1,000 meters. These are the results of an intensive discussion by the CSU parliamentary group about changes. According to the participants, Söder had given the direction: “We have to do something.”
It is still unclear whether the Bavarian concept will be sufficient from the point of view of Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) – or whether the federal government will ultimately withdraw the legal basis for the 10H rule.
With wind turbines, which are mostly 200 meters high, the 10H rule in Bavaria has so far ensured a minimum distance of 2,000 meters. The reduction to 1,000 meters in priority areas represents a substantial change. Such priority areas can be designated by regional planning associations. In Lower Bavaria, for example, there is still a lot of potential space for wind turbines.
The construction of wind turbines should also be made easier next to motorways, along four-lane federal roads or important railway lines – on “areas that already have a negative impact on the landscape and the noise situation due to important infrastructure facilities”. The same applies in forests, on military training areas, when replacing existing wind turbines and directly next to industrial companies, which can thus supply themselves with wind power.
Aiwanger cautiously optimistic
Not only the federal government The Free Voters, as government partners of the CSU, also had to relax in advance pounded. For almost two and a half hours on Wednesday afternoon, Bavaria’s Economics Minister and Free Voters leader Hubert Aiwanger answered questions from the CSU parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament.
When leaving the CSU parliamentary group meeting, Aiwanger expressed cautious optimism that the MPs would follow his easing proposals and that a compromise would come that “enabled a significant increase in wind power”. Then the state government’s letter could finally go to Economics Minister Habeck in Berlin, and he would then see that Bavaria was in good spirit to enable more wind power, said Aiwanger.
Greens: “Doctoring around” at 10H is not enough
The state parliament Greens warned the CSU in advance against just “tinkering” with the 10H minimum distance rule. Following the announcement of the decision, the leader of the Greens parliamentary group in the state parliament, Ludwig Hartmann, expressed the assumption that Federal Minister of Economics Habeck would abolish the 10H rule despite the CSU initiative. Habeck himself has not yet commented.
Florian Striebl, the chairman of the Free Voters in the state parliament, said about the decision: “We welcome the fact that our coalition partner wants to relax the rigid 10H wind power rule.” With a view to Habeck, the CSU saves itself an embarrassing political defeat.
The SPD advocates completely abolishing the 10H rule in Bavaria. The chairman of the Bavarian SPD, Florian von Brunn, wrote on Twitter that the CSU’s compromise was not enough.