Energy - Renewable energy: municipalities and citizens should benefit
Local authorities and citizens are to benefit more financially from the expansion of renewable energies. To this end, Energy Minister Armin Willingmann (SPD) presented a draft bill to the cabinet on Tuesday. The draft stipulates that operators of new wind turbines or solar parks must in future give local authorities a binding share of the profits.
The energy minister expects an annual sum of around 30,000 euros per wind turbine. The municipalities are to decide for themselves how they want to use the additional income. According to Willingmann, the law is intended to create broader acceptance for the expansion of renewable energies in the state among local authorities and the population. The expansion will continue to change the landscape in Saxony-Anhalt.
In the coming years, for example, the area for wind turbines in the state will have to almost double. There are currently around 2750 wind turbines in the state and this figure will increase to up to 5000. The financial contribution only applies to newly erected turbines and so-called re-powering measures, in which existing turbines are modernized and expanded.
The money could, for example, be used to upgrade locations or renovate municipal buildings, said Willingmann. However, it is also conceivable that the money could be passed on directly to citizens via energy vouchers.
Opposition parties in the state parliament also welcomed the introduction of the law in principle, but also criticized the Ministry of the Environment for its hesitant approach. Wulf Gallert, economic policy spokesman for the left-wing parliamentary group, described the draft bill as a late submission of a minimal variant. The Greens' energy policy spokesman, Sebastian Striegel, warned that the money should be allowed to be used freely in the municipalities. However, he said it was good that the draft bill was finally coming.
In addition to Saxony-Anhalt, other federal states such as Thuringia, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia also want to regulate financial participation in renewable energies more bindingly. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg had already passed corresponding laws in 2017 and 2019, but now also want to amend them. In Magdeburg, Energy Minister Willingmann hopes that the law will be introduced to parliament in spring 2024 and can be passed in the middle of next year.
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- In line with the SPD's stance, Energy Minister Armin Willingmann advocates for Saxony-Anhalt's communes and residents to gain a significant financial share from the installation and operation of new wind turbines and solar parks, aiming to boost acceptance of renewable energy expansion.
- According to the proposed legislation, operators of wind turbines or solar parks in Saxony-Anhalt should provide local authorities with a fixed percentage of their profits, following the example set by states like Thuringia, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia.
- SPD politician and Energy Minister Armin Willingmann plans to present the draft bill to the parliament in Magdeburg during spring 2024, hoping for passage in the middle of the following year, aiming to stimulate the use of the additional income gained from renewable energy initiatives in the commune's development and community projects, like renovating public buildings or providing energy vouchers to citizens.
Source: www.stern.de
