The largest wind farm to date could be built in Lavanttal on Packalpe in the Knödelhütte region.
Pretinig. The majority decision of the municipal council in Breitnegger on the efficient use of wind energy in the municipal area paves the way for the construction of another wind farm in Lavantal: Brandpower, a subsidiary of Bavarian Baywa, plans to build it on Packalpe in the Knödelhütte region not far from the Carinthian-Styrian border. Ten wind turbines with a capacity of 45 MW and a height of up to 120 metres. This should be able to produce electricity for up to 30,000 households or 50,000 electric cars. In terms of dimensions, it is the largest wind farm in Lavantal to date. Investigations into the environmental impact assessment process are scheduled to begin this spring.
Negotiated for two years
“I have conducted and completed land negotiations with the agricultural community in Oberauerling and farmers for Brandpower over the past two years,” says project initiator Franz Dorner, who carried out the first wind measurements in the project area in 2012. The provision of infrastructure to the community and the use of tracks for construction machinery and line building are recorded in a partnership agreement between the community and Brandpower. “Brandpower is renovating a municipal road approximately two kilometers long that leads to the wind farm. The community will also be supported with a one-time sum for the installation of e-charging infrastructure,” says Dorner. “The derivation is to the Wisperndorf substation in Bad St. Leonhard. Discussions are currently underway In this regard with the owners of the properties through which the ten-kilometre line will pass.
More projects planned
Brandpower wants to invest a total of 60 to 70 million euros in the project. In the best-case scenario, construction could begin as early as 2026, which could lead to a start-up in 2027: “Due to the new guidelines, the procedures should be completed within one to one and a half years.” After obtaining a legally binding preliminary building permit “There is no longer any postponement of objections,” says Dorner, who is already working on follow-up projects. “In the direction of Bad St. Leonhard, four to five additional wind turbines will be constructed. It can be set up, but here we still have to take the low-flying area into account.
“Need 140 wind turbines”
There are currently eight wind turbines in operation in Lavanttal: six on the Steinberger Alpe in St. Georgen, and two others in Soboth. There are several other projects under implementation. “We would need 140 wind turbines in Carinthia to be climate neutral,” Dorner says. “We currently import about 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours annually.”
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