As of: February 6, 2024, 10:22 a.m
By: Nils Hinsberger
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Press
Split
Aiwanger places responsibility for the closure of the wind farm in Bavaria on Markus Söder.
The CSU reacts angrily and counters.
Update from February 6th, 10:20 a.m.:
The CSU defends itself against allegations from Bavaria's Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) that it is partly responsible for the failure of the wind farm in the Altöttinger Forest.
CSU General Secretary Martin Huber emphasized to the
BR
: “Hubert Aiwanger is solely responsible for wind power.
Energy policy is economic policy.”
Aiwanger was not sufficiently committed to the cause and canceled an appointment with the citizens' initiative because he preferred to demonstrate with farmers instead, said Huber, who sits in the state parliament for the Altötting district.
Aiwanger had said in
the BR
: “I just don’t let myself be sent anywhere that people would like me to go.”
Aiwanger also attacked CSU boss Markus Söder at the most recent BR Sunday get-together: The wind farm plans had come “from above” and “the Prime Minister was responsible” anyway, Aiwanger had said.
The State Chancellery countered Aiwanger's claim that he was not responsible for the wind farm until 2023 because the state forest was not previously part of his ministry.
This doesn't matter, it is said, because "all questions about energy supply, energy transition or energy infrastructure are located in the State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy - in the sixth year under the responsibility of Hubert Aiwanger," a State Chancellor spokesman told BR
.
This also includes wind power.
Thick air?
Hubert Aiwanger (l), chairman of the Free Voters, and Markus Söder (CSU), Prime Minister of Bavaria, in the Bavarian state parliament.
© Peter Kneffel/dpa
Who is to blame for the wind farm shutdown?
Aiwanger dismisses “absolute nonsense” – and points to Söder
First report from February 5th:
Munich - Bavaria's new wind farm project failed due to a referendum.
The largest wind farm in Bavaria to date is to be built in the Altöttinger Forest with 40 wind turbines.
The citizen survey in Mehring is now preventing the construction of a total of 10 wind turbines - and is putting a stop to the project for the time being.
The search for a culprit now begins in the Bavarian government.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, led by Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), is actually responsible for issues relating to energy.
But Aiwanger sees neither his ministry nor himself as responsible, reports the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
.
Rather, “Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is responsible for planning the park,” Aiwanger defended himself in the “Sonntags-Stammtisch” program.
of the
Bavarian Radio
.
Aiwanger considers allegations against him about wind farm closure to be “absolute nonsense”
Aiwanger denies any guilt that he was responsible for the failure of the wind farm.
He considers the fact that he should have done more on site to be “absolute nonsense,” said Aiwanger.
“The people didn’t vote against it because the Aiwanger wasn’t there.
But because they simply didn't like the planning." According to Aiwanger, citizens lack information about where the wind turbines should be built and how many there will actually be.
These decisions come too much “from above,” says the chairman of the Free Voters.
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The citizens were not included in the planning, said Aiwanger.
If the Economics Minister has his way, responsibility for failure also lies with Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU).
In fact, until last fall, her ministry was responsible for the Bavarian state forest where the wind farm was supposed to be built.
However, responsibility was then transferred to the Bavarian Ministry of Economics and thus to Aiwanger, as the Ministry of Economics itself announced on its website.
Citizens' initiative against Bavarian wind farm to "preserve nature"
If you believe the words of the “Gegenwind Altötting” initiative, which is campaigning against the planned wind farm, it is primarily about preserving nature.
The survey results show “that people are committed to their forest, their environment and their homeland,” said the initiative’s spokesman, Rainer Harböck.
As the
Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation
(
BR
) announced, 928 people voted against the construction of the ten wind turbines - 454 were in favor.
Erwin Schneider, the CSU district administrator of Altötting, also shares the initiative's stance.
Since Russia's attack on Ukraine he has changed his opinion somewhat, but he is still fundamentally against the wind farm.
“For example, I now say what I didn’t do before: we want to have wind turbines in the district.
I still don't like them.
But you have to jump over your shadow,” Schneider told
BR
.
However, the rejection of the wind farm in Mehring is not the ultimate goal of the initiative.
Another citizens' initiative is planned in the nearby community of Haiming, where wind turbines for the wind farm are also to be built.
“No problem” – Söder and Aiwanger are sticking to the wind farm plan for Bavaria
However, the planned wind farm has not yet finally failed, even after the referendum.
Aiwanger and Söder have announced that they will stick to the major project and find a “compromise line” in the debate.
For Aiwanger, however, the full implementation of the idea is still unrealistic.
“It’s a bunch of stuff, and then a French investor.”
He suggests setting up the project in a citizen-friendly manner.
For Söder, the cancellation was “not a broken leg”.
The Bavarian Prime Minister emphasized that he does not want a “light wind farm” but plans to implement the project as planned.
Aiwanger complained that he now had to “work through things” himself.
He denies that he didn't engage enough with the local citizens.
However, local politicians continue to make accusations against the Minister of Economic Affairs because he is more interested in farmers' protests than in politics.
The mayor of Marktl, Benedikt Dittmann (CSU), told the
Münchner Merkur
: “The Aiwanger should take care of the Bavarian economy and the wind turbines and not hop around at any demonstrations.” (nhi)