Kassow wind project

ENERTRAG has been planning a new, regionally significant energy project for several years, for which a separate approval procedure with public participation is being carried out. In this context, transparent information should be provided at this point.

In addition to the environmentally friendly construction and operation of a powerful wind turbine, the project involves the participation of citizens and local authorities as well as the involvement of one of the most important industrial companies in the region, Nordex from Rostock, and is therefore an important project in the concrete implementation of the energy transition in the region.

ENERTRAG is thus acting for a clean and secure future for the benefit of the people of the country and future generations on the basis of 100% renewable energies.

Against the background of the economic and technical development of wind turbines, regional locations for measuring and testing new or further developed turbine types are of particular importance for turbine manufacturers.

Nordex develops and produces its wind turbines at the Rostock site in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Nordex currently employs over 1,400 people from various departments in Rostock. In order to safeguard the company's innovative strength and the technical development of its turbines, it is essential for Nordex to be able to erect facilities that are to be used for research and measurement work and to carry out measurements. Such facilities and measurement sites in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are important for Nordex as they are close to the development and production site. This is an important condition for a facility that is to be used for research and measurement work, as it ensures that the company's technicians and engineers have rapid access to the measurement facilities. The promotion of regional added value through the proximity of the site to the development and production facilities of the manufacturer Nordex Energy GmbH therefore plays just as important a role as the good suitability of the location. Nordex is constantly working on the further development of the DELTA 4000 turbine generation.

There are plans to erect a NORDEX N149/5.X turbine with a 125 m tubular steel tower for research and measurement purposes at the Kassow site.

Receipt of BImSchG approval for the construction and operation of the WTG

09/30/2021

After receiving the permit, construction can now begin.
 
After more than three years of project development, ENERTRAG has reached another milestone in the realization of the Kassow wind project. On 2 August 2021, the responsible approval authority (State Office for Agriculture and the Environment of Central Mecklenburg) issued the BImSchG permit in accordance with Section 4 for the planned "MS B3" Nordex N149/5.X wind turbine with a hub height of 125 m, a rotor diameter of 149 m and a rated output of 5.7 megawatts.

Numerous expert opinions and studies on fauna, flora, noise and shadow immissions as well as information events with local residents preceded the decision. As a result, many issues relevant to the planning process were recorded, discussed, documented in expert reports and dealt with appropriately in advance.

ENERTRAG has now begun to tackle the next steps quickly. This relates in particular to the preparatory measures for the construction of the wind turbine and informing the neighboring communities and residents. Construction will take place in close coordination with the local communities and farmers, as well as the project partners such as NORDEX.

Construction is planned for the period from the end of 2021 to spring 2022.

Planning area and status of the procedure

The Kassow wind project is located in the municipality of Kassow (district of Rostock) south of the village of Kassow and north of Groß Schwiesow. The project area is bordered by the village of Oettelin to the west and Goldewin to the east and is crossed by two high-voltage power lines.

The project area is suitable for the erection of wind turbines according to the standard state criteria of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and is therefore designated as a suitable area in the draft for the partial update of the energy chapter of the Rostock regional spatial development program with the area number 55/58 "Mistorf". In December 2019 and June 2020, the Rostock Region Planning Association decided on the update of the regional spatial development program and assumes that the update of the spatial development program will become binding at the end of 2020.

The area is also very suitable for the planned project, taking into account several other aspects. These include

Good wind conditions for efficient wind energy use

Visual integration into an existing wind farm

Structural pre-determination by existing railroad and power lines

Proximity to existing power lines for the grid connection

Direct grid feed-in point due to existing ENERTRAG substation

Proximity to the city of Rostock and the Nordex company for measurement and maintenance work as well as short distances during delivery and construction of the wind turbines

Suitable location with regard to noise and shadow impact emissions.

An application for approval in accordance with Section 4 BImSchG was submitted for the project in spring 2019. As part of the approval procedure, all documents will be put on public display to give residents, associations and authorities the opportunity to find out about the plans and make comments.

Planned wind turbine

The construction and operation of a Nordex N149/5.X wind turbine with a capacity of 5.7 MW and a hub height of 125 m is currently planned for the Kassow wind project. This is a turbine of the new DELTA 4000 wind turbine generation from Nordex, which is to be used for research and measurement work.

With a rated output of 5.7 megawatts (MW) and a rotor diameter of 149 m, the N149/5.X is one of the highest-yielding turbines for locations with wind conditions away from the direct coastline. A single wind turbine can supply up to 5,000 households or 11,000 electric cars with clean electricity and save around 9,500 tons of_CO2 per year.

Demand-oriented firing

Wind turbines must be marked as an obstacle to aviation as soon as they exceed a total height of 100 meters. In practice, this means that entire wind farms flash red at night to warn approaching pilots. This lighting has become one of the biggest acceptance problems in the realization of wind energy projects, as it can also be perceived as a nuisance on the ground.

Switch it off now! What if the lights were only switched on when they are actually needed? People have been talking about switching off the red flashing lights on the horizon for years. But little has happened nationwide so far. In December 2018, the German government decided that from July 1, 2020, all wind turbines in Germany must be equipped with a demand-controlled night-time marking system.

By installing a system for so-called demand-controlled night-time marking (BNK), night-time light emissions will also be reduced by up to 95% for the wind project in Kassow. The light is only activated when an aircraft within a radius of 4 km and at an altitude of less than 600 m approaches the wind farm.

ENERTRAG has brought the demand-controlled night-time marking system to series maturity in recent years and already offers solutions for the demand-controlled night-time marking of wind turbines through its subsidiary DARK SKY.

Citizen and municipal participation

Forms of participation

Participation takes many forms. In addition to informal participation within the planning process, it is of course also about economic participation. In other words, ensuring that residents and communities in the vicinity of wind farms benefit appropriately from local wind power generation. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the economic participation of citizens and municipalities has even been regulated by law since 2016.

Citizen and community participation act

The M-V Citizen and Community Participation Act obliges project developers to offer wind farm residents - including residents and municipalities within a five-kilometre radius - shares of at least 20 percent in new wind farms. Each share may cost a maximum of 500 euros.

Alternatively, a combination of an annual equalization levy for municipalities and a savings product for residents can also be offered. This reduces the risk for municipalities and residents. When acquiring shares in the wind farm company, both profits and losses from a project must be borne as part of the respective investment. The equalization levy for municipalities is fixed and is calculated on the basis of the profit expected from a 10% stake in the company. It is paid out annually and must be earmarked for infrastructure and energy-saving measures. In the case of the savings product for citizens, the minimum interest rate is also calculated on the basis of the wind farm yield.

Further information on the law is available from the State Energy and Climate Protection Agency M-V: www.leka-mv.de/Beteiligung/