Freising Airport: What will become of Herrmann's Solar PV project?

Freising Airport: What will become of Herrmann's Solar PV project?

The discussion about the use of the area for the planned third runway at Munich Airport increases in intensity. A year ago, the CSU Minister of State Florian Herrmann presented plans to occupy the area with a photovoltaic system (PV system). This idea causes a stir, as it is part of his initiative to promote alternative energy sources.

Herrmann had suggested at the time that half of the 530 hectare area is intended for the third runway to be used to build a PV open-air area. This is particularly interesting because Herrmann explained: "The 3rd runway will not come, it is politically done". In addition to using the area for the PV system, the remaining areas should serve for agriculture or as a biotopes. The numbers behind the planning are impressed: According to Emondo GmbH, 380,000 solar modules are to be built, which could generate 212 gigawatt hours of electricity annually. That would provide enough energy for 85,000 households or cover half of the airport's electricity requirements. Such a PV system would be the largest of its kind in Germany.

urban challenges at the airport

One year after this presentation, the progress of the MUC Solaris project remains unsafe. Herrmann emphasizes that he regularly follows up at Munich Gesellschaft (FMG), but so far without tangible results. "The whole thing is the FMG, which is currently in the process of checking the project. It currently has enough to do with dealing with chaos at the airport," said Herrmann. The FMG is currently under pressure to master various challenges that affect the company.

Andreas Maier, Managing Director of Emondo GmbH, reported that a conversation with the FMG took place in February, in which the possibilities for the project were discussed. Maier explained that since this meeting the project has been "in clarification" and that the FMG had assured that the talks will be resumed as soon as they were ready. Unfortunately, nothing has changed since then.

The reaction of the FMG to renewed inquiries

When asked by Freisinger Tagblatt about the progress, the FMG was generally expressed, but confirmed the whereabouts of the PV plans in the concept of climate protection goals. These goals include reducing CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2035, so that the airport no longer wants to release climate-damaging carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The expansion of PV systems remains a central component of this ambitious project.

When requesting a more precise explanation of the developments, the FMG referred to previous statements and the current status that the clarification of the reconciliation of various projects is continuously discussed. It is important to mention that the FMG has submitted an application to give the planning approval decision for the 3rd runway long-term validity, which further complications for the realization of the PV project.

The question of whether the district should sue this application is currently being discussed in the district committee. The developments related to the Muc Solaris project and the whole topic of using the airport area show how complex the urban planning and environmental policy challenges are in the region. for For more information, see the current reporting on www.merkur.de .