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Wind farm on the North Sea: The construction of wind turbines is not completely ruled out in the protected area of navigation systems
Photo: Christian Charisius / dpa
Wind power is crucial for the energy transition - but the expansion has so far only progressed slowly.
The German air traffic control is now counteracting this and is making more space around their navigation systems for the construction of wind turbines.
The Ministries of Economics and Transport announced that German air traffic control is reducing its system protection areas around the so-called rotating radio beacons.
Rotating radio beacons are navigation systems for air traffic.
They send radio signals to airplanes, which use them for their directional information.
Construction of wind turbines also not excluded in the protected area
So far, according to air traffic control, there has generally been a protection area with a radius of 15 kilometers around the radio navigation systems.
This is to minimize the risk of radio signals being disrupted.
In April, a test started to determine whether the radius could be reduced to seven kilometers to make room for new wind turbines.
This has already been confirmed for some locations and air traffic control expects "that in many other cases the reduction can take place and thus one of the obstacles to the planning of wind turbines will no longer apply," the ministries said.
Even in the protected area, the construction of wind turbines is not completely impossible, but requires a complex test.
According to air traffic control, there are currently around 1,600 wind turbines in the protected areas.
The smaller distances "removed a significant obstacle to the expansion of wind power on land," said Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP).
Wind power is of great importance for a climate-friendly energy supply in Germany.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) emphasized that flight navigation would still remain safe.
ani/dpa/AFP
