Carinthia against wind power: the folk survey shocked the energy transition!

Carinthia against wind power: the folk survey shocked the energy transition!

A big echo in Carinthia: 51.55 percent of the voters voted for a ban on further wind turbines on mountains and alpine pastures. According to the preliminary results, published by oekone.at , 149,048 voters from 427.323 were called up to give their vote, which corresponds to a turnout of 34.88 percent. Of the votes cast, 76,527 were votes in favor, while 71,935 no votes were counted. Invaluable voices came to 586. In the municipality of Krems, the highest proportion of yes votes was recorded, while Neuhaus received the most no votes.

political consequences and regulatory framework

Despite the clear result, the political situation remains tense. The result is not legally binding, but it could affect the approval process for the currently 24 planned wind farms in Carinthia. According to orf.at , it could become much more difficult for future wind power projects. While the FPÖ wants to include a ban on wind turbines in the constitution, Kelag penetrates the continuation of renewable energies. In the event of ongoing permits, some projects have already been stalled by objections and are now before the Federal Administrative Court.

The polls and votes have shown that the power plants are not only an energy source, but also strongly intervene in the landscape. The state government of Carinthia is currently planning a allocation of wind power plants to seven municipalities in the northeast of the country. It remains to be seen how things will continue in the coming weeks, especially since the government also wants to comply with climate -neutral goals by 2040, which is a challenge if the generation from fossil fuels is further consumed.