Prohibition zones for wind power: “It is damage to the location”

In the Mühlviertel municipality of Sandl near the Czech border, wind power has been the defining topic for a few weeks. Sandl is one of 89 Upper Austrian communities that lies in a draft regulation of the country in an exclusion zone for wind power. Accordingly, no new facilities may be built there.

Two noble families who plan to build a wind farm with 22 wind turbines at the Rosenhof forestry were also surprised. The environmental impact assessment was started at the end of November.

The planned regulation was presented shortly before Christmas. It has already been sent in assessment and could be decided in about four weeks.

• Read here: Sandl wind farm: Operators hold on to the location

The freedom of governor Manfred Haimbuchner (responsible for nature conservation) and VP State Councilor Markus Achleitner (economy, energy and spatial planning) emphasized that it was a professional and no political decision. Almost 66 percent of the country area would be available for wind turbines. The Sandl location was already shown as a red zone in the right-hand-proof wind power master plan, the reasons for this are bird protection and the preservation of large coherent forest areas.

“The project advertiser has always been aware that the implementation of this project in Sandl at this location for nature conservation reasons. These concerns were clearly signaled to the project advertiser in a personal conversation,” says Achleitner’s office. This was denied both environmental state councilor Stefan Kained (Greens) and the SP mayor of Sandl, Gerhard Neunteufel, at a press conference on Monday. You can also not understand the technical justification, you see a purely political decision.

Wind turbines as “enemy image”

“Nature suffers much stronger from the climate crisis than from wind power,” said Neinteufel. The municipality had consciously campaigned for the project that all factions in the local council and also by the population were supported.

The conditions are ideal: the region is one of the most windest zones in the state, the location is located in a sparsely populated area and necessary infrastructure, such as forest roads. The wind farm, for which an investment of around 250 million euros is planned, could supply around 125,000 households with electricity.

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