Environmental concerns stop wind power plans at Lammerskopf near Heidelberg!

Environmental concerns stop wind power plans at Lammerskopf near Heidelberg!

The Rhine-Neckar regional association recommends that the Lammerskopf area near Heidelberg not be classified as a priority area for wind energy. This decision is based on broad environmental concerns, in particular concerns about the possible harm to the local nature, including various plant species and bird and bat populations. The regional association's recommendation followed concerns raised by the Nature Conservation Authority and marks the end of a review that lasted more than two years.

The planning committee's vote must now be confirmed by the association meeting on December 12th. Environmental protection associations such as BUND and NABU have already welcomed the recommendation. The wind measurements on the Lammerskopf are documented in a map visualization created by Forst BW.

Wind power and legal requirements

Although the regional association has made a recommendation, the city of Heidelberg is not legally bound by this decision. The resolutions are only considered “offer planning” and municipalities have the opportunity to create special areas for wind energy within their land use plans. The Lammerskopf, which extends between Schönau and Heidelberg, largely belongs to the state of Baden-Württemberg.

In the context of the energy transition, the state government plans to push ahead with the construction of wind turbines. This is done under the Onshore Wind Act, which came into force on February 1, 2023. This law obliges Baden-Württemberg to make 1.8% of the state's area available for wind turbines. If these requirements are not met, the planning right for wind turbines will be activated.

The mayor of Heidelberg, Eckart Würzner, also emphasized that the planning for wind turbines on the Lammerskopf is already well advanced. A project community consisting of Stadtwerke Heidelberg, the Starkenburg energy cooperative, the Kraichgau citizens' energy cooperative, the Heidelberg energy cooperative and Trianel Wind and Solar was awarded the contract by Forst BW to lease and develop the project in October 2023. The wind turbines that could be built there are capable of supplying up to 50,000 households in Heidelberg with electricity by the end of the decade.

National goals and challenges

The importance of wind power extends beyond the state borders of Baden-Württemberg. According to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, wind energy plays a central role in the federal government's climate protection strategy. By 2032, 2% of the German state area should be designated for wind energy. Currently only 0.8% of the area is designated for wind turbines, although in fact only 0.5% is used.

In order to accelerate the expansion, legal area targets were defined: 1.4% should be achieved by 2027 and the targeted 2% by 2032. A reform of building and nature conservation law should make the installation of wind turbines easier. However, critics, such as the Federal Wind Energy Association, have denounced the staggering of expansion targets and the short deadline for statements as problematic.

With the new legal basis and the increased focus on the expansion of renewable energies, cities and regions are faced with the challenge of finding a balance between the necessary climate protection and nature conservation. The current case surrounding Lammerskopf will therefore be closely monitored.

You can find more information about nature conservation and wind energy on the [Federal Environment Ministry] website (https://www.bundesumweltministerium.de/themen/naturschutz/naturschutz-und-energie/naturschutz-und-windenergie).