Gigantic wind turbines over Dahme-Spreewald: politicians and citizens in dispute!

Gigantic wind turbines over Dahme-Spreewald: politicians and citizens in dispute!

In the idyllic region between Teupitz and Halbe, Zossener Energiequelle GmbH plans to build two wind farms with a total of 55 wind turbines. This ensures increasing concern for residents, because the planned turbines have an impressive hub height of 180 meters and would therefore protrude well above the 100 meter high hall of the popular leisure pool "Tropical Islands". The first plans provide to produce about one billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which corresponds to almost double the need for Potsdam. So much electricity can be fed into the network quite lively, the project should be approved.

However, the construction in the beautiful Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park is viewed with skepticism. In the first citizen participation, many residents expressed concerns that the planning would be promoted without sufficient inclusion of the population. Project manager Vincent Wahrenburg tries to take the worries seriously and promises that each tree felled will be replaced by two to three new trees. But critics fear negative effects on the sensitive ecosystem and biodiversity of the region. Matthias Rackwitz, chairman of the NABU association Dahme-Seenland, has started a petition against wind turbines in the landscape protection area to point out these risks.

financial opportunities and resistance

projects like this not only bring excitement with them, but also financial opportunities for the municipalities. Mario Hecker, city councilor from the region, even sees good business in the planned wind farms. Halbe and Teupitz could generate up to 500,000 euros annually in income that could be used for investments in schools and infrastructure. A small consolation on the other hand is the fact that the number of wind turbines was reduced by 20 due to the resistance of the residents and the distance to the next house has now been increased to 1,600 meters.

But the discussion about renewable energies seems to be more on the "how" than on the "OB". This is also shown by the constellation decision for a wind farm in Freidorf, which is currently heating the minds of the community council. The planned wind turbines are to be built on around 1,000 hectares along the A13. However, there are strong voices against these projects for taking into account the nature park pains about economic interests, as the NABU demands. The matter is complex, because investors can apply for approvals even without municipal consent.

The future of wind power plans

The perspectives for wind power in Brandenburg are not rosy. There is currently a lack of a national planning basis for wind power use in the region. Mayor Gerald Lehmann warns of a limited scope for action for the municipalities and refers to the need to increase acceptance within the population. Elsewhere, in Gießmannsdorf, however, you are planning to combine e-mobility and local heat supply with an "energy park of acceptance". It could be decided whether the Teupitz/Halbe wind farm will actually be approved in 2028.

The continuing skepticism of the population is also evident in citizen surveys, where in many places rejection against wind and solar systems can be observed. Despite these concerns, Brandenburg pursues the ambitious goal of receiving 80% of the electricity from renewable sources by 2030. 2% of the area of Germany should be used for wind turbines. The debate already shows that a good knack for planning and implementing projects for the use of renewable energies is required to find a balance between citizens' interests and economic goals. How it goes on remains exciting.

Further information on the topic can be found on the pages of the Wokreisel and at Federal Environment Ministry .