Federal government specifies requirements for wind energy
The Federal Council has adjusted its wind energy concept. When designating areas that the federal government believes are suitable for the use of wind energy, interests in use and protection are weighed up. The authority to determine the areas remains with the cantons.
"Since 2018, the Energy and Spatial Planning Act explicitly oblige the cantons to define areas in their structure plans that are suitable for the use of wind energy," the Federal Council explains in a press release . At its meeting on September 25th, it approved the necessary adjustments to the wind energy concept. All planning and project sponsors must orient themselves to this concept.
In the wind energy concept, usage and protection interests are weighed up against each other. From this consideration, the federal government derives areas that it believes are suitable for the use of wind energy. The interests of the federal government in nature and landscape protection areas as well as military and civil technical systems of the federal government must be taken into account by the cantons when designating areas for the use of wind energy. The adapted concept stipulates that under certain conditions wind turbines can be erected in landscapes of national importance. In biotopes of national importance, however, the construction of wind turbines is excluded.
The cantons continue to have the authority to determine the specific areas that come into question for the use of wind energy. In the structure plans already approved by the federal government for the cantons of Aargau, Basel-Landschaft, Bern, Freiburg, Neuchâtel, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, St.Gallen, Waadt and Wallis, more than 50 such areas have already been defined. In addition, the communication points to a number of wind energy projects that are already well advanced in the planning stage.
