Source: Energy & Management Powernews, January 21, 2022
Good mood, but no agreement on wind power expansion in Bavaria: That is the balance of a meeting between Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder.
For a short-term inaugural visit was the new Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) on 20 January at Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU). A major topic was the situation of wind power in Bavaria in view of the 10H rule in the Free State. This provides for distances of wind turbines to residential buildings of ten times the wind turbine height and has brought the expansion of wind turbines in Bavaria almost to a standstill.
At a press conference following the meeting, which was described by both sides several times as "constructive," Söder emphasized the high importance of climate protection for Bavaria: "We have passed one of the most modern climate protection laws, with high investments." Bavaria's CO2 emissions are one-third lower than the national average, he said. "We are ahead in all renewable forms of generation, with the exception of wind," Söder said.
However, he said, this is not solely due to the 10H regulation, but essentially to hard factors such as a topology that is not ideal for wind power. For Bavaria, he said, it is also important to respect these regional differences. Söder said, "We believe that 10H is not the main reason for the problems with wind expansion in Bavaria and therefore also that 10H can stay." However, one is quite willing to talk about exceptions, said Söder and named in this context the topics of state forest and repowering.
Bavarian state government must present plans
Söder gave a rejection to the demand to designate 2% of the state area for wind energy: "Two percent means 200,000 soccer fields, we are very skeptical about that." To this, Habeck countered, "As much as it's right to make progress in the expansion of photovoltaics, geothermal energy and hydropower, we also need ecological patriotism in the expansion of difficult technologies like wind power." One remained in such a way that the Bavarian federal state government would again present until March, which plans it has and which further possibilities could result from it.
Habeck stressed that one does not think at present of prescribing from the federation clear defaults for wind power distances to the countries: One chose another way than simply to prescribe an abstract legal norm, but tried to get from practice and implementation.
Author: Peter Koller
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