Plan leaked: Traffic light probably wants to take action on wind turbine distances - but only after the NRW election
Created: 05/12/2022, 10:28 am
By: Franziska Schwarz
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) speaks to journalists.
© Monika Skolimowska/dpa/archive image
Until now, wind turbines have had to be a certain distance from residential buildings.
The federal states determine these themselves - but according to a report, they will soon no longer do so.
Berlin - The traffic light coalition apparently wants to deprive the federal states of the freedom to decide on the minimum distances between wind turbines and houses.
"The previous country opening clause (...) should be repealed," quoted the
picture
on Thursday from a draft bill.
So far, the federal states have been able to determine these minimum distances independently.
In Bavaria, for example, this "10H" rule currently states that a wind turbine may only be erected if there is no residential building within a radius of 1000 meters.
However, there are apparently two big "buts" in the plans: existing state regulations should not be dropped.
And the planned cabinet decision should apply immediately - but will only be made explicitly after the important state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to information from the
image
, the FDP had pushed for this.
Traffic light plans for wind turbine distances: NRW election as a hurdle?
According to the report, the vote should not take place until May 18th or 25th, i.e. when the NRW elections are already over - otherwise there would be fear of public protests.
The newspaper also quotes critical voices from the opposition: “Wind power expansion against the rural population cannot work.
With systems as high as the Berlin TV tower, a distance of 1000 meters to apartments is the minimum," said Brandenburg's CDU parliamentary group leader Jan Redmann.
At the beginning of May it became known that Bavaria wanted to soften the controversial 10H distance rule.
In the future, it should be easier to set up wind turbines in forests, along motorways and in commercial areas.
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) expects that up to 800 new plants can be built in Bavaria.
Traffic light climate plans: These are the target numbers
The Federal Government, made up of SPD, Greens and FDP, is aiming for a faster expansion of renewable energies that in future two percent of the state area be designated for onshore wind energy.
That should be enshrined in law.
However, most countries are still a long way from this goal.
With a view to Bavaria and its planned new 10H regulations, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) was happy: “That won’t be enough, but you can see that there is a dynamic going on.
And that's a good sign that we're on our way together," he was quoted as saying by the dpa news agency.
(frs with dpa material)
