Another wind farm can be built in the Baltic Sea north of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula. As the Western Pomerania State Office for Agriculture and the Environment announced, the authority issued the building permit for the Gennaker wind farm.
103 wind turbines are to be built in the vicinity of Baltic 1, the first commercial wind farm off the German Baltic Sea coast that went into operation in 2011. The almost 200 meter high systems have a total nominal output of 927 megawatts (MW), which roughly corresponds to the output of a large coal-fired or medium-sized nuclear power plant. Two identical substation platforms will also be installed with the wind farm, which will collect the wind power and direct it to land.
The project was given the green light in 2019. But because more modern wind turbines were to be used, the building application had to be renewed and the test procedure had to be repeated. An objection can be lodged against the approval that has now been granted and a complaint can be filed with the Greifswald Higher Administrative Court within one month.
Like Baltic 1, the Gennaker wind farm is also controversial in the region
Like Baltic 1 before it, gennaker is controversial in the region because it is feared to have a negative impact on tourism. When visibility is good, the existing 21 wind turbines of Baltic 1 can be clearly seen from the beach in Prerow, about 16 kilometers off the coast. No negative effects on booking demand for hotels and the campsite in the popular seaside resort were known.
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In 2019, the Higher Administrative Court rejected applications from the communities of Zingst, Prerow and Born against the planning of the Gennaker wind farm in proceedings relating to the so-called state spatial development program. At more than ten kilometers from the coast, it lies outside the municipal area, so that the municipal planning sovereignty is not violated.
Greentech: Wind farms currently in operation on the Baltic Sea coast
The court ruled that the mere fact that the wind turbines will be visible from the communities is not enough. Because it fears major disadvantages for migratory and resting birds from the 100 gennaker wind turbines, the environmental protection association Nabu objected to the building permit. According to the information, a decision has not yet been made.
There are currently six wind farms in operation off the German Baltic Sea coast. According to the company Deutsche WindGuard, they have a combined output of 1,400 MW. According to industry information, the offshore wind energy output in the German Baltic and North Seas totaled around 8,500 MW at the beginning of 2023. According to the federal government’s plans, the expansion target is 30,000 MW by 2030.