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More permits for wind turbines in MV again

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania sees itself as a pioneer of the energy transition. However, momentum in the expansion of wind power use has slowed recently. This is set to change. But there is still resistance.

Wind turbines in a field. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de
Wind turbines in a field. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Energy - More permits for wind turbines in MV again

According to Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is reducing the backlog of approvals for new wind turbines. At 84 wind turbines, almost four times as many were approved in the year just ended as in 2022. "This shows that our acceleration measures are taking effect," Backhaus said in the state parliament in Schwerin on Friday. In recent years, the expansion of green electricity production in the north-east had come to a considerable standstill. The main reason for this is the backlog of applications at the relevant authorities.

According to Backhaus, the rapid expansion of renewable energies is essential in order to secure the energy supply and protect the climate at the same time. To this end, the federal government has set a target of using 2.1 percent of the land area for wind turbines. Backhaus announced a planning law for this at the beginning of 2024. At the same time, he conceded that it has not yet been possible to create enough acceptance for new wind farms. "People need to realize that they themselves benefit from renewable energies. The best way to do this is through falling electricity and energy prices," said Backhaus. Speakers from several parliamentary groups agreed and called for the political course to be set for this.

In the debate requested by her parliamentary group, AfD MP Petra Federau referred to a letter of protest from the mayor of Altentreptow in the east of the state. In addition to 100 existing wind turbines, a further 120 were planned there and this met with widespread rejection.

Federau reiterated her fundamental criticism of the energy transition and, like CDU MP Daniel Peters, called for a return to nuclear energy. Peters referred to the growing resistance to new wind turbines. There are now 50 citizens' initiatives. The CDU politician spoke out in favor of leaving the final decision on the construction of new wind turbines to the local councils concerned. Otherwise, acceptance would continue to decline. He also advocated regional electricity tariffs in favor of regions with many wind turbines. However, the southern and western German federal states in particular are firmly opposed to this.

The statistics for MV show a total of 1836 onshore wind turbines. Lower Saxony is in first place in the state comparison with 6181.

Timetable for the state parliament session with links to laws and motions

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Source: www.stern.de

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