Wind Repowering in Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate invested heavily in wind during the 2010s — the Hunsrück and Westerwald regions are wind strongholds. The WaLG (Wind Energy on Land Act) target is currently well below plan at 1.1%, so a high degree of political momentum on land designation is to be expected.

Market Data

Permitting & Law

• Minimum setback distance: no blanket rule, governed by TA Lärm (Technical Instructions on Noise) + shadow flicker
• Authority: SGD Nord (Struktur- und Genehmigungsdirektion Nord, Koblenz) and SGD Süd (Neustadt an der Weinstraße)
• WaLG target: 2.2% by 2032; current status: approx. 1.1% — behind schedule
• EEG southern bonus: applies — +0.30 ct/kWh
• Species protection: red kite, wildcat, black stork in the Westerwald

Forest Sites

Unlike northern Germany, Rhineland-Palatinate has a high share of forest — many wind sites are forest sites. Landesforsten RP (the state forestry agency) is the main lessor and has established procedures for awarding wind turbine sites and for community wind models.

Regionally Active Engineering Firms

• juwi AG (Wörrstadt) — the largest developer from Rhineland-Palatinate
• ABO Wind AG (Wiesbaden, active in RP) — project development
• Landesforsten RP — forest-site lessor
• LfU RP (Landesamt für Umwelt / State Environmental Agency) — environmental authority

Wind energy in Rhineland-Palatinate – market data, WaLG status and permitting framework

Specifics of Rhineland-Palatinate

• Forest sites dominate: many turbines stand in woodland
• WaLG behind schedule: a political acceleration of land designation is to be expected
• EEG southern bonus: advantageous at moderate wind resource levels
• Hunsrück: relatively acceptable wind resource + low population density