New wind power plan for Altenburg: where turbines could soon turn

New wind power plan for Altenburg: where turbines could soon turn

Altenburger Land, Deutschland - The discussion about wind energy in East Thuringia gains driving and ensures lively participation in public. The Altenburg district office has described the current plan as "ambitious" and emphasized the need that at the end of 2027 at least 1.4% of the area in East Thuringia must be shown for wind energy. This should increase to 1.7% by 2032. The need for action is large, because only 0.4% of the area for wind use is currently available, which significantly limits the efficiency of the existing systems. Lack of suitable locations and the low capacity utilization are the main reasons for this development, such as lvz.de reports.

In order to avoid "wild growth" in wind power planning, it is necessary to update the regional plan wind energy from 2020. Otherwise, wind turbines could be built "largely uncontrolled", which could lead to conflicts with residents, especially in the areas between Gößnitz, Naundorf and Hainichen. This makes the requirements clear: a minimum distance of residential development should remain preserved, and wind turbines could also be created in landscape protection areas and nature parks.

priority areas under the magnifying glass

The regional planning community of Ostthüringen has already identified 67 priority areas, of which 15 are in Altenburger Land. These areas stretch primarily at the national borders of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Some of the designated areas are quite small, such as those at the glass plant in Maltitz, while others, like the Halde Phönix-Ost, are over a square kilometer. The new wind projects between Oberkossa and Großbraunshain as well as in Jonaswalde, which could soon be realized.

But where there is light, there is often also shadow. The public has the opportunity to express their concerns by September 15 and to contribute to information. An online participation portal has been set up to actively involve the citizens in the process. If you have no access to the Internet, you can also view the planning documents in the Schmöllner branch of the district office. This ensures that everyone has the opportunity to be heard.

environmental protection and wind power

When planning wind turbines, nature conservation issues play a central role. It is discussed to what extent wind turbines are a threat to birds and insects. While the dangers of bird species are considered low as a whole by wind turbines, studies show that arable chemicals and the cutting of habitats are serious threats to biodiversity due to development and traffic. The Thuringian wind energy decree of 2016 also regulates that many nature reserves are largely excluded from wind power planning. In certain areas, however, exceptions could apply, this should be justified by legal changes, as reported by the Environment.thueringen.de.

The topic of wind energy remains controversial and exciting. The active integration of the citizens and the observance of the nature conservation issues should be found between ecological and energy policy goals. Interested parties can find out more about further developments on the platforms of Windergie-thueringen.de.