Court decision clears the way for wind turbines in Friedländer Wiese!

Court decision clears the way for wind turbines in Friedländer Wiese!

A sigh of relief for wind power? On October 28, 2025, the Greifswald Higher Administrative Court pronounced a decisive turn in the dispute over the wind farm in Friedländer Wiese. The judges declared the rejection of the State Office for Agriculture and the Environment Mecklenburg Lake District (StaLu) invalid. This means that the building application for the planned twelve wind turbines could soon be re-examined after the first permit was rejected two years ago for nature conservation reasons. That reports NDR.

The Brandenburg company Enertrag plans to build wind turbines that could be up to 240 meters high. However, the Friedländer Wiese is not just an area that could potentially generate electricity; it is also an important gathering place for herons and wild geese, which stop there on their way south. This has led to ongoing protests by the citizens' initiative “Freie Friedländer Wiese”, which has been demonstrating against this project every Saturday for seven years.

Prolonged debate about wind energy

This court decision has reignited the entire process surrounding the use of wind power in the region. The citizens' initiative and environmentalists who are protesting against the construction of the wind turbines point out the importance of the Friedländer Wiese for the local flora and fauna. In recent years, many conservation groups, including NABU, have expressed concern that poorly planned wind turbines could have negative impacts on species and habitats. Loud NABU It is crucial to take nature conservation concerns into account when planning and expanding wind energy.

But the need to advance the energy transition and switch to renewable energies was also repeatedly emphasized. Wind energy will account for around 53 percent of renewable energy sources in 2021. For many experts it is clear that a nature-friendly implementation of this energy transition is fundamental. Creating a balance between energy production and environmental protection is a challenge that affects all sides.

The way forward

The applications and approval processes for wind power projects must be designed to focus on low-conflict locations. The dispute over the Friedländer Wiese could therefore serve as a prime example for future planning in Germany. Are the interests of nature sufficiently protected? That remains to be seen.

As the debate continues to escalate, a good hand is required from all sides to find a solution that both advances climate protection and protects the valuable habitats of our flora and fauna. On the one hand, the decision of the Higher Administrative Court could make it easier to build new wind turbines, but on the other hand it could also spark new discussions about the right balance between nature and climate protection.