Söder counters Habeck at wind power target - and brings up Bavarian peculiarities

Created: 01/13/2022, 09:42 AM

Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) © Frank Hoermann / Sven Simon / Imago (archive image)

Markus Söder doesn't want to be like Robert Habeck.

The Bavarian Prime Minister speaks about the goals for wind turbines - and makes his opinion clear.

Munich - Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has not only made friends with his plans.

The response from Bavaria to his press conference on climate protection on Tuesday promptly followed: Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has refused to make two percent of the country's area available for wind turbines.

"In Bavaria, less areas are suitable for wind power, so that in a few areas there would have to be a lot of wind turbines," he told the

to explain.

This is due to “the topography” in Bavaria, not a lack of political will.

Söder reacts to Habeck statements: "Every federal state should play to its strengths"

"In Bavaria there are much less suitable areas for wind power than in northern Germany, for example," the CSU boss argued.

It is about an overall concept, "every federal state should play to its strengths".

In Bavaria it is more solar energy or hydropower.

Söder admitted, however, that he also feared "acceptance problems" in the population when developing wind power, among other things in connection with nature and species protection.

Habeck announced on Tuesday a massive expansion of renewable energies in Germany in order to be able to achieve the climate targets. Among other things, he announced that two percent of the country's land area should be reserved for wind turbines. "Wherever distance rules are held in order to operate prevention planning, they can no longer exist," said Habeck also.

Bavaria is the only federal state that has a so-called 10-H rule.

This stipulates a distance of at least ten times the height of a wind turbine from the nearest residential area.

Since this rule came into force, the expansion of wind power in Bavaria has practically come to a standstill.

Söder did not directly address the problem of the 10-H rule in the interview.

Video: What Minister Robert Habeck is planning on climate protection

Climate protection in Germany: like this in one federal state, like this in another?

With a view to the two percent area target, Habeck had also emphasized that it was about the total value.

So it is not a problem if federal states agree that 1.5 percent of the area will be made available in one state and 2.5 percent in another.

Habeck had also made it clear, however, that all federal states would have to make their contribution and announced talks on this with the respective state governments.

Habeck wants to defuse conflicts with species protection through new, standardized rules.