GAIA warns: Wind power is at risk for southern Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg!

GAIA warns: Wind power is at risk for southern Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg!

A worrying situation for wind energy is emerging in southern Germany. The project developer GAIA warns that the planned change in the reference yield could have fatal effects on numerous wind power projects. Around 2,300 planned wind turbines in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate are at risk, which not only endangers thousands of jobs, but also investments running into the hundreds of millions.

GAIA managing director Torsten Szielasko appeals to the federal government not to change or even increase the reference yield. “The reference yield is the most important basis for our wind energy projects in the south,” he explains. Current calculations show that wind turbines in the north can generate up to 20 million kilowatt hours per year, while those inland only achieve around 13 million kilowatt hours. Severe topography and small-structured areas cause additional infrastructure costs that make a 50 percent increase in the reference yield prohibitive, according to Szielasko.

Strong together for wind power

There has been a lot of movement in the prospects for wind power in recent months. In the first half of 2025, almost 1,300 applications for new wind turbines were submitted in Baden-Württemberg. After a long lull, there are now almost 200 new plans in Bavaria. The federal states are aiming to install a total of 1,000 new wind turbines in Bavaria by 2030 and to increase wind power output in the southwest from two to six gigawatts.

But despite these positive trends, the industry is under pressure. Consider about economic feasibility and uncertainty for investors are increasing. This has primarily to do with the planned review of the reference yield model, which is specifically anchored in the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and ensures that wind power remains attractive in regions with lower wind speeds.

An appeal to politics

GAIA plans to present its list of requirements “Stay the course and have a full breakdown!” at the Husum Wind trade fair. to introduce. In addition to maintaining the current framework conditions, the company demands that municipalities be able to release up to nine percent of their areas for wind use. A reform of the distance rules, binding species protection guidelines and an acceleration of the approval process are also important points on the project developer's agenda.

The federal government's current target of just two percent of the state's land for wind energy is considered inadequate. This could not only harm the upswing in wind power in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, but also cause Germany to fall behind other regions that operate much more dynamically in the area of ​​renewable energies. Another sign that time is of the essence and it is high time to set the course for a sustainable energy future in good time.