Plans for wind power expansion in Berlin irk city state鈥檚 local mayors
威力彩玩法 / Tagesspiegel
Several boroughs in Germany鈥檚 capital Berlin have rejected a new analysis commissioned by the senate to assess the prospects for onshore wind power installations on the city state鈥檚 territory. The聽聽鈥 following a decision by the German government to adequately assess wind power generation potentials across the country - found more than 30 possible turbine locations on the state鈥檚 nearly 900 square kilometres of territory. Forests and large lakes were cited as potential sites despite them enjoying a special protection status as recreational areas for Berlin鈥檚 residents. However, none of the locations fell into the lowest categories assessing 鈥渃onflict risk.鈥 Negotiations between the boroughs and the senate should now identify which of the possible locations are best suited for building wind turbines. The turbines considered in the analysis, conducted by research institute Fraunhofer IESE, assumed heights between 150 and 230 metres.
Frank Bewig, local mayor in the borough of Spandau on the city鈥檚 outskirts, newspaper Tagesspiegel that an intensive use of the district鈥檚 forests for wind power would be 鈥渙ut of the question.鈥 The borough鈥檚 counsellor for the environment, Torsten Schatz, said the proposed location would be 鈥渄etached from reality,鈥 but added that Spandau remained open to host turbines elsewhere. Oliver Igel, local mayor for the borough of Treptow-K枚penick, said the analysis鈥檚 timing had been 鈥渦nfortunate鈥 and caused irritation among residents. However, local mayor Cordelia Koch, from Pankow, which hosts Berlin鈥檚 six existing turbines, said she was open to discussing new locations based on the analysis.
Under national wind power expansion plans, city states are required to designate 0.5 percent of their territory as possible locations, while larger states must contribute 2 percent. City states besides Berlin are Bremen and Hamburg, who both also already have turbines installed.