Wind power in the sight: the village is fighting against the flood of plants on the border!

Wind power in the sight: the village is fighting against the flood of plants on the border!

In the small village of Freudenberg-Behheid, the residents face an increasingly urgent problem. According to the mayor Siegfried Berg, there are already 21 wind turbines in the immediate vicinity, spread over the Bavarian and Baden-Württemberg side of the district. The facilities in the south and southwest are particularly stressful, the optical presence and the generated noise level through the prevailing winds significantly impair the quality of life of the villagers.

The attractiveness of rural spaces is at stake, because the priority areas for wind power in which the municipalities have to participate concern local politics. In Baden-Württemberg, the goal is to declare these areas until September 30, 2025, which forces the municipalities to make their contribution. Berg illustrates that the rural area has to provide a larger proportion of the areas because they are not sufficient in the metropolitan areas; In Freudenberg this could be up to 2.7 percent of the area.

The dimension of the priority area

An important point of the discussion is the planned priority area in the Jungholz, which is to be located near Freudenberg, Rauenberg and Ebenheid. This area could be controversial because the local council can comment together with the local councils and citizens, which enables external participation. However, Berg warns that what is important could be missing: an adequate designation of the areas. If no agreement is reached, the nationwide regulation for winding system extension could be used.

The regulation that provides for a "settlement protection" for villages could be crucial here. Berg noted that no new wind turbines could be approved on the Bavarian side if some are already installed in the Jungholz. This could have a significant impact on the planning, because a balanced relationship and an orderly expansion are important to the local mayor. He wants the facilities to be bundled in a way that minimizes the impairment for the villagers.

Citizen participation and upcoming decisions

The local council unanimously spoke out for a statement that is forwarded to the local council. The idea of this statement will take place during the citizens' events on October 28 and 30, 2023 in Rauenberg and Freudenberg, where citizens can express their opinions and inputs. Berg encourages Ebenheider to actively participate and to raise their concerns before the deadline for statements on November 11th ends.

The final decision on the priority areas then lies with the regional association, the central decision -maker, who can approve or reject the projects. In the meantime, the Freudenberger can look forward to the accompanying financial resources, as Berg said: Each kilowatt hour of wind turbines in the neighboring communities of Neunkirchen and Eichenbühl brings 0.2 cents to benefit Freudenberg.

The local council meeting brought other topics on the agenda, including the monthly border courses organized by the field -sworn. These take place on November 23 and 30 and all interested citizens are invited to participate and actively participate.