Push for stricter wind turbine rules and planning delays outrage renewable associations

The states of Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia are pushing for stricter rules on minimum wind turbine distances near settlements and for curbing planning privileges that enable wind parks to be planned and built in less time. The Bundesrat, Germany’s council of state governments, will debate the suggestions on 19 October. Energy industry association BDEW and wind power association BWE have both strongly opposed the states’ ideas. The initiatives “run counter to the energy and climate policy efforts” of the country and “poison the investment climate,” BDEW head Stefan Kapferer said in a press release. Environmental organisation DUH said the initiatives could lead to a halt in wind energy expansion.

See the CLEW factsheets on onshore and offshore wind power in Germany for background.