analysis
Germany’s largest state is having difficulty expanding its wind power network. Bavaria has huge state forests, but there is no progress here either. Other federal states have more wind turbines in their forests. Why?
Things went well again for the prestige project: last Sunday, citizens in Marktl in Upper Bavaria voted for wind turbines in their community. At the end of January, the neighboring community of Mehring voted against wind turbines.
The wind farm in the Bavarian chemical triangle in the Altötting district is a prestige project for the Bavarian state government. Another no vote by referendum would have been an embarrassment for Prime Minister Markus Söder. A year ago, the CSU politician wanted to build Bavaria’s largest wind farm there with 40 wind turbines. There were loud protests against this and Söder’s energy minister had to mediate.
Last appeal from Energy Minister
Before the referendum in Marktl, Energy and Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger of the Free Voters intervened via video message: “Please vote for the negotiated compromise.” This only provides for 27 wind turbines in the chemical triangle and greater distances from residential buildings.
After the vote, Aiwanger praised the clear approval of the people of Marktl, saying it was a good sign for the energy transition in the Free State. But it seemed more like a nail-biter.
Bavaria’s industry needs wind power
For Aiwanger, the approval in Marktl is only a partial victory. The expansion of wind power in Bavarian state forests is progressing only slowly. And the minister had to spend a long time promoting the idea to the citizens of the chemical triangle: numerous information events on site, a bus tour to other wind turbines and several invitations to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Conclusion: Marktl’s approval was not in vain. Economics Minister Aiwanger is clear: not only the chemical triangle in the southeast, but the whole of Bavaria needs wind power. As a car-producing state, the Free State is hungry for energy. At the same time, it is financially strong and by far the largest state in Germany.
The need, money and space for new wind turbines would therefore be there. But Bavaria is still struggling with the expansion of wind power due to a CSU policy that is increasingly turning out to be a mistake.
The legacy of the 10H regulation
Ten years ago, Prime Minister Horst Seehofer wanted to accommodate the rural population when he implemented a strict distance regulation for wind turbines. This set the minimum distance from residential buildings at ten times the height of the wind turbine.
This 10H rule led to a planning standstill in regional planning for many years, says Bernd Wust from the Bavarian Wind Energy Association (BWE). As a result, fewer and fewer areas were available for wind turbines. At the same time, the pressure on the Bavarian State Forests increased, because space and “10H” were not a problem in most places.
500 new wind turbines in the state forest?
The Bavarian State Forests are the largest forest owner in Germany, with an area of around 8,000 square kilometers. In 2019, Prime Minister Söder announced many new wind turbines in the state forest, but only a few were added. According to a report commissioned by the State Forests, there is space for 500 wind turbines, and 101 are currently in operation.
The decisive factor for the establishment of wind power in the forest are the award conditions: who is allowed to build and what rules apply? The state forests are owned by the Free State of Bavaria. They allocate their locations for wind turbines in a Europe-wide tendering process.
According to the State Forests, the process should be as “public, transparent, non-discriminatory and, above all, quick” as possible. But does this approach lead to quick success? Other federal states regulate things differently.
Good experiences with wind power in Rhineland-Palatinate
In the Rhineland-Palatinate State Forest, the sites for wind turbines are usually allocated through expressions of interest procedures. In addition, the allocation to municipal authorities takes place through a negotiated procedure based on valuation reports from sworn experts, explains the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Environment on BR-Inquiry.
According to the ministry, the Rhineland-Palatinate State Forestry Service has generally had very positive experiences with wind power in the forest: “Anyone who relies on the use of wind energy cannot avoid the forest as a location in Rhineland-Palatinate, the state with the most forests.”
Hesse relies on the forest for Wind power expansion
Hesse, together with Rhineland-Palatinate, is one of the most forested federal states, with more than 40 percent of the state’s area covered by forest. The total forest in Hesse corresponds to the area of the Bavarian State Forests.
However, there are more than 500 wind turbines in Hesse’s forests. 149 wind turbines have found a place on the land owned by the state-owned company HessenForst, which accounts for around 40 percent of Hesse’s forest area.
The sites are allocated through open bidding procedures. Municipalities and citizens’ cooperatives are given preference because the money offered by an investor is not the only decisive factor in the award of the contract.
“The criteria of regional and municipal added value and also opportunities for financial participation by citizens will be taken into account with a share of 30 percent,” explains the Hessian Ministry of the Environment. The economic criteria of the offers will be weighted with a share of 70 percent in the evaluation.
Brandenburg built wind turbines in the forest early on
The forest area in Brandenburg is also about as large as that of the Bavarian State Forests. According to the Wind and Solar Agency, Brandenburg had 493 wind turbines in the forest last year.
Wind power is also gaining acceptance among local citizens through a state law: This requires wind turbine operators to pay a special levy of 10,000 euros annually to communities within a radius of three kilometers from a wind turbine.
Bavaria wants Obligation to consent of the communities
In Bavaria, municipalities must agree to the construction of wind turbines in state forests. The state forests imposed this consent clause on themselves in 2011. This clause has long been questioned, including by the Altötting CSU district administrator.
Economics Minister Aiwanger is also speaking out against this more and more clearly. “The current passage regarding the Bavarian State Forests from earlier times no longer fits the current situation,” he told BR.
The regulation was originally intended to protect municipalities from undesirable planning, but now it means that plans desired by municipalities can be destroyed and investors are therefore avoiding the state forest, says Aiwanger. “That’s why we will adapt this passage.”
Passage should be changed
After a cabinet meeting this week, Aiwanger told the BR When asked when the passage should be changed: “It will be done very quickly, we can do it in the next few weeks if we want to.”
Prime Minister Söder underlined this with the words: “We have the majority.” This refers to the majority on the supervisory board of the state forests, which is predominantly made up of representatives of the state government.
Söder does not discuss why this majority was not used earlier to promote the expansion of wind power in forests.