Energy: Will the Braunau district be self-sufficient in a few years?

The Braunau district could become energy self-sufficient through wind and solar in the next ten to 15 years, said VP state parliament member and district party chairman Klaus Mühlbacher yesterday at the press conference about the goals and priorities of the district VP. This would be possible by expanding up to 19 wind turbines in the Kobernausserwald. Energy will initially flow into two mayoral elections coming up in the spring.

The VP is represented by a local group in all 46 municipalities in the district, which is not the case everywhere, said district manager and mayor Michael Huber. 37 of 46 mayors are from the VP, with elections in two municipalities soon: Martin Erlinger resigned from his position as VP mayor of Treubach for health reasons, Josef Leimer in Helpfau-Uttendorf retired at the end of January. The election will take place in Treubach on April 14th and in Helpfau-Uttendorf on April 28th. Both VP mayors, Georg Schickbauer and Hannes Manglberger, are running.

As reported, Munderfing, Lengau, St. Johann, Maria Schmolln and Schalchen voted in favor of expanding the wind farm. The plan is to build 19 additional wind turbines, which when completed will produce 250 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.

Agriculture is a problem child

Many farmers are currently fighting against windmills. Because the requirements are increasing, but the appreciation and creation are not, the mood is slowly but surely changing, said Federal Councilor and deputy district party chairman, Ferdinand Tiefnig. The current discussion about the abolition of fully slatted floors in pig fattening is an example of a lack of planning security in agriculture. The first thing that needs to be saved is the Braunau District Chamber of Farmers. Due to austerity measures by the Chamber of Agriculture, closure was discussed. The “strong Braunau district needs this important service,” said Tiefnig. Work needs to become more attractive, says National Councilor, mayor and district party chairman Andrea Holzner: “We lack employees in all areas, from production to care. In order to maintain our prosperity, professional performance must pay off more.” In order – not only, but also – to attract urgently needed workers, a pilot project is starting in Upper Austria to qualify asylum seekers with a high probability of staying, i.e. Syrians. In eight months they should be qualified and prepared for the job market. “The measure is intended to prevent asylum seekers from being unemployed or ending up on social assistance after they have been granted asylum status,” explained Holzner, explaining the joint project between the state, the economic development institute and the FAB. (mahu)

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