“The ideas are there, and so is the will”: Mayors are already planning in the event that the 10H rule falls

Created: 01/19/2022, 19:00

By: Armin Forster, Andrea Beschorner, Bastian Amann

Whether they like it or not, people in the Freising district will have to get used to wind turbines like the one in Fahrenzhausen if the energy transition is to succeed.

The mayors agree on that.

© farmer

Should 10H fall, municipalities would again have significantly more design freedom in the construction of wind turbines.

And indeed, some mayors already have plans.

District

– The Bavarian state government is still reluctant – but the headwind is getting stronger: Climate Minister Robert Habeck wants the 10H distance rule for wind turbines to be dropped.

This is the only way to achieve the energy transition.

But where is there potential for wind turbines in the district?

Mauern's mayor wants to keep promises

"We could supply entire walls with one bike," says Mayor Georg Krojer, sounding wistful.

If it were up to him, the municipality would have started building a plant long ago.

A location had already been chosen for this years ago: between Schwarzersdorf and Priel, which belongs to neighboring Gammelsdorf.

Krojer: "There was even a lease agreement with the Munich public utility company, and we could have given the citizens a share of the income."

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But there was massive resistance to the plans, a community of interests mobilized and Krojer was quickly confronted with over 100 critics.

“Of course, anti-wind tourism also picked up immediately.

People from all over Bavaria could be seen at the events in Mauer.”

Georg Krojer, Mayor of Mauern: "We could supply all of Mauern with one bike." © FT-Archiv

The protests had an effect, because the local chief, Krojer, wanted to "take everyone with him when it came to wind power," as he says.

“I promised that and I will keep it.” Should the 10H rule be overturned by the federal government, the mayor of Mauer will not shy away from resuming the debate: “We have to face the discussion.

If we want to get rid of coal and nuclear energy, if we want to drive everything electrically at the same time, and if industry is to have electricity security, then we have to give something for it.”

In Wang, citizens should benefit financially

Krojer's counterpart, Wang's mayor Markus Stöber, was not yet at the head of the municipality when the topic of wind power was just as hot as in Mauer.

When it finally became clear that Federal Minister Robert Habeck was shaking 10H, Stöber also thought about how to react locally to the abolition of the regulation.

"On the one hand we want the energy transition, on the other hand we don't want to anger the citizens extremely." From his point of view it would be advantageous if "the municipalities aren't the bad guys again and everything is carried out on the backs of municipal councils or mayors".

Instead, clear guidelines from a higher level are needed.

Markus Stöber, Mayor Wang: "Clear guidelines from a higher level are needed." © FT-Archiv

As a wind power study showed in the era of Hans Eichinger, several locations are suitable from a technical point of view on Wanger Flur: Two are in the Thulbach Forest, one near Schlag and one between Inzkofen and Thalbach. From Stöber's point of view it is clear that "this is not necessarily what the local population wants". In his opinion, however, acceptance could increase if financial returns could be passed on to the citizens concerned. He will now wait for the major political situation and then react.

Although Wang is in the comfortable situation that well over 1000 percent of the energy requirement is generated from renewable sources due to hydroelectric power generation and plenty of PV systems in the community, Markus Stöber sees a need for action in terms of expanding renewable energy sources: "Cities like Freising or Moosburg are struggling Of course, larger communities like Wang have to take on that.”

People are already thinking aloud in Hallbergmoos

"If we want to achieve energy self-sufficiency, then we have to step on the gas now," says Hallbergmoos town hall boss Josef Niedermair (CSU).

And although the topic of photovoltaics is currently being promoted primarily in his community, wind turbines are of course also part of such considerations.

The abolition of the 10H rule would accommodate the Moos community insofar as a wind turbine project failed a few years ago due to these strict requirements, among other things.

Josef Niedermair, Mayor of Hallbergmoos: "We now have to step on the gas for energy self-sufficiency." © FT-Archiv

Irrespective of this, Niedermair, as he revealed to the FT, has “thinked out loud” about wind power together with his counterpart in Ismaning, Alexander Greulich.

Both have their sights set on a previously favored area south-east of the Hausler-Hof, “far away from the residential areas”.

Without the 10H rule, you could even go up to 200-250 meters where it really blows.

Niedermair: "The ideas are there, and so is the will." Should Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck implement the 10H project this year, the Mayor of Hallbergmoos can well imagine that the topic of wind turbines will also be revived in the municipal council this year.

If 10H falls, it will be concrete in Allershausen

Mayor Martin Vaas (PFW) has a clear opinion: "If you want to implement the energy transition decision of the district, then we will not be able to avoid also identifying wind turbines." And he quotes Andreas Henze from the Bürger Energie Genossenschaft (BEG), who recently gave a lecture on the topic of energy transition to the Allershausen municipal councils: If you want to implement the energy transition, “you need at least one wind turbine in every municipality in the district”.

Martin Vaas, Mayor of Allershausen: "We won't get around it." © FT-Archiv

Vaas can understand the protests of those who want to put a windmill in front of their noses.

But he sends afterwards: "Nevertheless, we will have to get used to other things: wind turbines and photovoltaic systems for the energy transition, higher buildings due to the horrendous land prices - all this will take time."

Martin Vaas announced that if the 10H rule were to be abolished, the topic would come up on the table in the municipal council.

Then they will also examine whether there are suitable areas in Allershausen.

District Administrator Helmut Petz has also spoken out against the 10H regulation.

For the energy transition, it is “like the parking brake on a car”.