Distance rule should be abolished
Wind turbines will come closer to settlements in NRW in the future
08/21/2023, 10:20 am
According to environmental associations, the minimum distance between wind turbines and residential areas is a hindrance to the expansion of wind energy. In North Rhine-Westphalia, this rule could now be overturned.
A year-long controversial issue in the expansion of wind power in North Rhine-Westphalia is to be cleared up this week. Finally, on Thursday, the state parliament wants to vote on the abolition of the general 1000 meter distance rule for wind turbines to residential areas. The corresponding change in the building code is the last item on the agenda of the plenary session.
The draft law was presented by the government factions of the CDU and the Greens. The approval of the abolition of the 1000-meter minimum distance, which has long been controversial, especially in the CDU, is therefore considered certain. This rule has already been overturned when older wind turbines were renewed.
According to environmental associations, the minimum distance between wind turbines and residential areas is a hindrance to the expansion of wind energy. According to the black-green coalition agreement, at least 1000 additional wind turbines are to be built in NRW during this legislative period.
Expansion only successful if acceptance increases
According to the black-green draft law, the accelerated expansion of renewable energies will ensure the competitiveness of NRW as a business and industrial location and make an important contribution to falling prices, to security of supply and to climate protection. Wind energy is of particular importance here. However, the expansion can only be successful “if acceptance of it by people throughout the country is maintained and continues to increase”.
In order to promote the expansion of wind power, the NRW cabinet also launched the draft of a new state development plan (LEP) in June. Because by the year 2032, North Rhine-Westphalia must identify 1.8 percent of the state area (61,400 hectares) for wind energy. The country intends to meet this target by 2025. The LEP with area specifications for wind power expansion for six regions is scheduled to come into force in spring 2024.
The black-green state government expects a boost for the use of wind energy in NRW in view of the sharp increase in the number of approvals for new plants. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, a higher wind energy output with new turbines had already been approved in the first half of 2023 than in the entire previous year.
According to this, 178 wind turbines with a total output of around 910 megawatts were approved in NRW in the first six months of the current year. In the previous year there were 186 approved systems with a total capacity of 869 megawatts.