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Auleben and Hamma: Citizens overwhelmingly reject wind farm!
Citizens in Auleben and Hamma reject new wind farms. The results of the surveys are incorporated into political planning.
Auleben and Hamma: Citizens overwhelmingly reject wind farm!
In the northern Thuringian district of Nordhausen, the wind power discussion is becoming increasingly heated. A recent citizen survey in the towns of Auleben and Hamma showed clear resistance to the planned wind farm. In Auleben an impressive 96% of citizens spoke out against the project, while in Hamma 91% signaled their negative attitude. Mayor Matthias Marquardt (Left) emphasized how important this opinion is for the municipality's political decisions. One thing is certain: The rural community of Heringen/Helme is fundamentally open to wind farms, but the opposition is specifically directed against the Auleben and Badra locations reports MDR.
Different numbers of citizens took part in the citizen surveys, which ran over two weeks. In Auleben the participation was 57%, whereas in Hamma it was 42%. Despite the clear result, the citizen survey has no legal consequences, but will be incorporated into the municipality's statement regarding the Auleben/Badra wind priority area says MDR.
The special challenges in Auleben
Auleben has a particularly protected position with its gypsum karst landscape and the associated monument protection requirements. This could be another reason for the high level of opposition to wind turbines among citizens. However, according to the planning decision of the North Thuringia regional planning assembly in June, the area for wind turbines in North Thuringia will be more than doubled, with the aim of making at least 2.5% of the state's area available for wind power by the end of 2027 refers to wind energy Thuringia.
The onshore wind law, which has been in force since February 2023, stipulates that 2.2% of the state's area in Thuringia must be designated for wind turbines by 2032. This highlights wind energy as the most profitable renewable energy source in Thuringia and is intended to strengthen independence from fossil imports. The Ministry of the Environment is also considering a wind participation law in order to offer municipalities and citizens more advantages from the use of wind.
Looking outside the box: Citizen surveys in Esens
In short, wind power is also being hotly debated elsewhere in Germany. A new citizen survey on the subject of wind power is being prepared in the joint municipality of Esens. The joint municipal council unanimously voted in favor of a differentiated expression of opinions by citizens. Joint municipal mayor Harald Hinrichs notes that the general conditions and the political mood have changed in recent years. Unlike in 2016, when 79.75% of citizens were against new wind turbines, this time several answer options will be offered in order to do justice to the different views of citizens reports NWZ online.
The new survey will start in the first quarter of 2024 and run for three weeks. The aim is to give citizens the chance to not just say a simple “yes” or “no”, but to express more detailed opinions on the subject of wind power. This could play an important role for future wind power policy in the region.
Overall, it is clear that the acceptance of wind power projects depends heavily on regional conditions and public opinion. It remains to be seen whether and how political decision-makers will react to the results of the surveys in Auleben, Hamma and Esens.