Mauerstetten relies on wind power: citizen participation and electricity for 3,000 households

Mauerstetten relies on wind power: citizen participation and electricity for 3,000 households

A lot is happening in the picturesque community of Mauerstetten: plans for the construction of three new wind turbines are taking shape. This was decided at a well-attended citizens' information evening in the Sonnenhof, which was attended by around 150 residents. Mayor Armin Holderried opened the event, which was led by Dr. Hannah Büttner moderated. The new wind turbines are to be built south of the Frankenried district.

But what exactly does this project mean for citizens? The engineering firm Sing GmbH from Landsberg am Lech presented the community energy project. Each of the planned wind turbines will have a hub height of 175 meters and a corresponding rotor diameter. This means that each system will be able to produce around 13 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually - enough to supply more than 3,000 households with energy.

Citizen participation in the foreground

A central concern is the financial participation of residents in the wind turbine operating company. Mayor Holderried and his team strive to actively involve the population in the energy transition. Questions and concerns were collected during the event, which were then clarified in the plenary session. This shows that the municipality attaches great importance to transparency and takes citizens along with it.

The topic of federal legal requirements also came up during the conversation. By 2027, 1.1% of Germany's land area must be designated for wind energy, and by 2032 it should even be 1.8%. This illustrates the urgency of such projects in order to achieve the desired goals for renewable energies.

Further steps and outlook

The next steps of the project are already planned. The application for approval for the wind turbines has been submitted to the Ostallgäu district office. An important point is the upcoming change to the land use plan, which will be discussed in the local council on November 11th. The earliest commissioning of the wind turbines is expected for 2028.

In order to further improve the information on offer, additional information evenings are already being planned. These are intended to further involve citizens in the energy transition and to provide open information about progress. Those interested can find out more about presentations and answers to inquiries on the municipality's homepage.

The events and the opportunity for citizen participation were rated very positively by many participants. The exchange between community representatives and residents shows that Mauerstetten has demonstrated a good knack for dealing with the energy transition. We are actively working towards a sustainable future here – in the truest sense of the word!