Iserlohn wind project

The planning area is located on private land in the urban area of Iserlohn (Märkischer Kreis, NRW). The project area is located to the north of the Gerlingsen district and to the south-east of the village of Kalthof.

The Iserlohn wind suitability area is suitable for the erection of wind turbines according to regional planning criteria and is therefore designated as a wind energy area in the draft of the "Märkischer Kreis - Kreis Olpe - Siegen-Wittgenstein Spatial Partial Plan" currently being drawn up. The potential study commissioned by the city of Iserlohn also concludes that the area is suitable. The area is also very suitable for the planned project for several other reasons. These include

A planning concept was initially drawn up in mid-2018 and the optimal locations identified. The noise and shadow impact and the potential energy yield were then evaluated as the project developed.

Since spring 2019, ecoda has been investigating the impact of the planning on the existing avifauna and environmental conditions on behalf of ENERTRAG. In addition to regular mapping of wind energy-sensitive species, specific space utilization analyses were also carried out.

From mid-2020 to mid-2021, a wind measurement campaign was carried out using a mobile LIDAR measuring device. The measurement data helps us to create a valid yield forecast as a basis for the economic evaluation of the project.

The application documents were completed between mid-2021 and mid-2022. Among other things, further expert reports were commissioned and discussions were held with the relevant authorities regarding the scope of the application documents.

Parallel to the planning law process, the parliamentary groups represented on the municipal council were informed about the planning project in an open letter in the early stages and offered discussions.

The parliamentary group "Die Iserlohner" took up the offer of talks. A personal information event was held in the forest area, at which open questions with sometimes controversial views were discussed and openly debated.

Personal discussions were held with the municipal administration at various times over the last few years and the planning project was also presented at these events.

The approval procedure in accordance with Section 4 of the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) is carried out in the sponsor procedure. This means that the Märkischer Kreis immission control authority manages the procedure and involves various public interest bodies (TÖB).

These are authorities such as the lower nature conservation authority or the responsible road construction authorities, environmental associations such as NABU or BUND, but also the city of Iserlohn. The city is involved in particular because the procedure sometimes deals with the issue of construction planning law.

In addition to the involvement of the TÖB, there will also be public participation in the course of the approval procedure, where there will be an opportunity to raise objections for or against the project.

All objections raised by the TÖB and the public will then be weighed up by the approval authority. A decision on the application will then be announced by the immission control authority.

We refer all interested citizens to the Märkischer Kreis for all procedural matters. Relevant deadlines, such as the possibility of public participation, are announced in the official gazette.

Current update (as of May 2024): The permit was officially granted on 15.01.2024. As a result, the necessary clearing work was carried out and completed in February 2024. The road construction work will start in fall 2024.

The following images provide an insight into the surroundings of the planned plant locations (as of 2021). Although the area is designated as a forest site (coniferous forest), there are hardly any trees left in the area of the planned sites.

The damage caused by extreme weather phenomena (strong storms and drought-related bark beetle infestation) presents the forestry authorities and landowners with the mammoth task of sustainably restoring the multi-generational forest project in the long term.

Wind energy planning can at least partially remedy this situation. This is due to the decades of financial support as well as the direct measures to sustainably strengthen the areas. Moreover, forestry operations are not restricted by the wind turbines.

The areas used, regardless of whether they have been cleared or, as in Iserlohn, there are no trees left, are reforested in coordination with the specialist authorities at a ratio of at least one to one. Resilient trees are used to create climate-stable forest areas. When the facilities are dismantled at a later date, access roads, parking spaces and the site that are no longer required are also dismantled and reforested to a high standard.

The 2 Vestas V150-6.0 wind turbines, each with a rated output of 6 MW, have a hub height of 166 m and a rotor diameter of 150 m.

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Participation takes many forms. In addition to public participation within the planning process (see "Approval procedure and timetable"), it is of course also about economic participation. In other words, ensuring that local residents and communities in the vicinity of wind farms benefit appropriately from local wind power generation. The town of Iserlohn benefits directly from the operating company's trade taxes. In addition, ENERTRAG intends to participate in accordance with Section 6 of the German Renewable Energies Act (EEG).

Participation in accordance with Section 6 EEG (Renewable Energies Act)

In the course of the 2021 amendment to the EEG, Section 6 makes it possible to offer municipalities within a radius of 2500 meters of new wind turbines a unilateral grant or financial participation without consideration. The law does not yet apply retroactively to existing wind farms, but only to newly commissioned WTGs. The grant fulfills the following important criteria: It is to be offered voluntarily and is not earmarked for a specific purpose, it is not included in the calculation of the district levy and is paid annually over the entire 20-year EEG term of the WTG. The amount of the payment depends on the annual amount of energy fed into the grid by the WTG. ENERTRAG regularly offers this voluntary contribution to all municipalities in the specific project areas and is also willing to do so in this specific project.

ENERTRAG is planning an annual energy feed-in volume of 33,000 megawatt hours (MWh) for the Iserlohn project. This feed-in quantity multiplied by the amount of EUR 2 per megawatt hour (0.2 cents/kWh) payable under Section 6 of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) results in a calculated sum of an estimated EUR 66,000 per year, which in turn will be divided proportionately according to the area of the surrounding communities within a 2.5 km radius of the respective wind turbine and paid to the communities annually for the duration of the operation of the wind turbine.