Citizen participation delays wind farm expansion in the Verden district!

Citizen participation delays wind farm expansion in the Verden district!

In the Verden district, planning for new wind farms faces major challenges. As the District newspaper reports, citizen participation in the approval process for 38 wind farm projects generated a high level of response. Around 80 objections were received, which resulted in the eligible areas being reduced significantly. This situation gives the district council something to think about; There is a risk that not enough wind turbines will be approved, which could lead to a legal vacuum in the future.

District council chairman Wilhelm Hogrefe has already demanded that district administrator Peter Bohlmann ask the network operators where the electricity generated can go. The significant height of the wind turbines, up to 300 meters, could act as a flying interference factor for radio links that are used for communication over long distances. A new delimitation of the areas is therefore essential.

Current challenges and declines

The eligible areas in the district have deteriorated significantly: the buffer shrank from 150 hectares in May to just 100 hectares. This makes the situation for project developers increasingly tense, especially since 1,724 hectares must be proven by the end of next year. So far, ten new wind farms have been identified in the regional spatial planning program of 2016, of which only nine have been fully implemented.

The district administrator also said that not all of the planned wind farms will actually be built. The region's power grids are barely capable of absorbing large amounts of additional electricity. This led EWE not to make any commitment to feed in electricity for the wind farm in Kirchlinteln, which further delayed the project processes.

Public participation is key

To ensure the success of wind energy projects, open and proactive communication is essential. The Wind/solar specialist agency emphasizes that transparency is important right from the start in order to reduce reservations among the population. Planning should always be tailored to local conditions so that citizens can actually have a say. The distinction between formal and informal participation plays a relevant role here. At least the information and participation strategies should be perceived as sincere in order to gain citizens' trust.

The pressure on project sponsors to involve the population is increasing. Citizen participation in wind and solar projects could benefit from regional laws, as is already being implemented in other federal states. The Grant Thornton presents interesting models from various federal states that show how citizens and municipalities can be involved, from receiving financial investments to social participation.

Overall, it remains to be seen how the situation in the Verden district will develop. The right steps and transparent communication are the key to aligning both citizens and environmental policy goals.