Strong sign for offshore wind energy
In its decision on the Butendiek wind farm, the Cologne Administrative Court speaks of the strong public interest in the expansion of wind energy at sea
The Butendiek wind farm near Sylt may continue to supply electricity. "The decision of the Administrative Court of Cologne strengthens the offshore industry, so that the expansion can continue with all our might," explains BWO Managing Director Stefan Thimm. With a capacity of 288 MW and 80 wind turbines, the Butendiek wind farm makes a decisive contribution to the security of energy supply in Germany. “But the energy transition can only be successful hand in hand with nature and species conservation. The BWO therefore always commissions new scientific studies on nature and species protection issues in order to create additional well-founded scientific data for the discussion," Thimm points out.
Hintergrund: The nature conservation association (Nabu) failed before the administrative court in Cologne with an urgent application to stop the operation of the offshore wind farm. According to new scientific findings, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation sees a significant impairment for the bird sanctuary Eastern German Bight, but gave priority to the public interest in generating electricity from renewable energies. The Administrative Court of Cologne confirmed this decision last Thursday, January 19, 2023. The Wind Energy at Sea Act, which has been in force since January 1, 2023, shows "that the construction of wind turbines at sea is in the overriding public interest." (PM VG Cologne, 19.01.23)