To this day, not a single wind turbine is turning in the district of Munich. But that is likely to change soon. In addition to the concrete plans for wind turbines in the Hofoldinger Forst, in the Höhenkirchner Forst and in the Forstenrieder Park, mayors and city and municipal councils in many municipalities are racking their brains. In Haar, at the request of the Greens, the plans for priority areas for the settlement of such facilities, which were buried in 2015, have just been pulled out of the drawers. It is about three areas in the north of the main town near Salmdorf and Ottendichl. Also in Unterschleißheim, pushed by the Greens, debates are going on again. In Haar, and especially in Unterschleißheim, it is always about the interests of air traffic control.
The new impetus in the rotor debate has to do with the legal framework set by the federal government. 400 wind turbines are to be built in the Munich area. All town halls are called upon to become active because otherwise investors can choose privileged locations if regional planning does not determine anything by the end of 2027. Mayor Andreas Bukowski (CSU) is now checking out the old plans in Haar and is also currently talking to an investor who could create an open-space photovoltaic system in the planned priority wind areas. Bukowski says he wants the best solution and hints at sympathy for solar use. A combination of wind and solar is conceivable.
Wind turbines could falsify the signals of the navigation systems
Apart from the 10H distance rule decided by the state government in 2014, conflicts with the requirements of the German air traffic control (DFS) led to Haar discarding the advanced spatial planning. In the meantime, however, DFS is adapting the exclusion criteria to the needs of wind power, which are particularly relevant for Garching, Unterschleißheim and Oberschleißheim because of the nearby Munich airport and the airfield in Oberschleißheim. In Unterschleißheim, Mayor Christoph Böck (SPD) on Tuesday, when asked by the Greens, denied that a relaxation was to be expected because the so-called traffic pattern for arrivals and departures in Oberschleißheim stood in the way.
DFS explains that wind turbines should not pose any obstacles to air traffic and should not be “built in the so-called system protection areas of our navigation systems (radio beacons)”. Wind turbines could falsify their signals. The calculation formulas for the disruptive effect have been adjusted and, as a result, an approval rate for wind power projects of well over 90 percent has been achieved. Protection areas have been reduced. In the Unterschleißheim area, the aim is not to create any obstacles for Oberschleißheim, where federal police helicopters take off and land in all weathers.
The Oberschleißheim airfield also employs the Munich Administrative Court. According to the press office, legal proceedings are underway there against restrictions imposed by DFS in relation to Oberschleißheim, which would prevent a wind turbine in Garching. A decision is still pending, they say.