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Ruppichteroth defends itself against secret wind power plans!
In the Rhein-Sieg district there is criticism of a lack of transparency in the approval of wind turbines in Ruppichteroth.
Ruppichteroth defends itself against secret wind power plans!
There is a lot going on in the community of Ruppichteroth surrounding the planned wind turbines. Mayor Mario Loskill said loudly Cologne City Gazette protested strongly against the lack of transparency in the approval process. Four locations for wind energy are planned here, but only on area R04 near Velken could a wind turbine be built in a timely manner. In the current discussion it is clear that the council in Ruppichteroth is raising its voice to hear and take into account the concerns of the citizens.
The concerns of residents cannot be dismissed. There are fears about health effects and the risk of fire from wind turbines. There are also massive concerns about the fire-fighting water supply; The nearest hydrant is an impressive 1200 meters away and is not considered sufficiently powerful to fight possible fires. These concerns are supported by the fire department, which also points to insufficient capacity.
Approval procedures and their challenges
The approval of the wind turbines is the responsibility of the Rhein-Sieg district, and the administration is required to give its consent to the procedure by November 4th at the latest. Five previously planned systems are currently up for consideration after they were withdrawn from the process. This means that of the 18 originally planned wind turbines, only 13 are ultimately still in play, with eight being within the already defined wind energy ranges. A simplified approval process without public participation is planned for this, which further fuels the discussion about transparency.
Again Mayor Ruppichteroth informed, the Cologne Regional Council plans to pass a resolution on the regional renewable energy plan on December 19, 2025. After the new regulation comes into force in January 2026, the planned areas will be considered binding wind energy areas. After all, there are two separate approval procedures: The first refers to systems within defined design areas, while the second contains stricter environmental impact assessment requirements for wind turbines outside these areas and involves the public.
Citizen participation: A path to acceptance?
An important aspect in the discussion about renewable energies is citizen participation. As the Wind industry in Germany reports, there are now updated guidelines that address targeted financial citizen participation. These are intended to help project sponsors increase the acceptance of wind and solar parks. Joseph Baur from eueco emphasizes that these guidelines provide easy-to-implement models for citizen participation that also take regional characteristics into account.
So the challenge remains: Is there a good knack for involving citizens? The importance of transparency, especially in Ruppichteroth, is further reinforced by the new formats of citizen participation as well as by the legal pressure from citizens who want to be addressed and heard. Let us be curious to see whether the upcoming decisions in the context of wind energy serve the common good and lead to positive cooperation.