Habeck: Legislative package on wind turbines central to climate protection

Created: 06/15/2022, 1:39 p.m

Mayors, local politicians and interested citizens inspected the turbines on a wind turbine with the roof open in Groß Schweisow (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania).

© Jens Büttner/dpa

Some countries are still a long way from the target they have set for expanding wind energy.

The traffic light coalition now wants to significantly accelerate the expansion with a legislative package.

Berlin - The federal government wants to significantly accelerate the expansion of wind turbines on land in the coming years.

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) said on Wednesday in Berlin with a view to a legislative package launched by the cabinet that this would ensure that expansion on a large scale made progress again.

This is central to achieving climate protection goals and becoming less dependent on fossil fuels.

Habeck said he did not want to hide the fact that a greater expansion of wind power would also be an impertinence for many people and some regions.

Politicians must respond to fears and concerns, but this must not lead to a political deadlock and inability to act.

Habeck also pointed out the economic importance of wind power: It has now become a location advantage to have renewable energies.

Still a long way from the set goals

The federal government wants to set legally binding area targets for onshore wind power.

According to the plans, 1.4 percent of the federal area should be available for wind turbines by 2026 and two percent by 2032.

So far, these goals are far from being achieved in most countries.

Different targets apply to the individual countries because there are different requirements for the expansion of wind energy.

On the other hand, the conflict between the expansion of wind power and the protection of species should be resolved through changes in the Federal Nature Conservation Act.

Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) expects a rapid expansion of renewable energies from the new legislative package.

This federal government tried to "remove all obstacles in the field of wind," said Geywitz.

"We will not only define the goals (...), but we will also have legal consequences if these goals are not achieved," said Geywitz.

The SPD politician named a general privileging of wind turbines that was then planned.

With its project, the government is also taking into account the planning sovereignty on site, according to the construction minister.

dpa