Wind farms to be realized more quickly in the canton of Lucerne
Published: Thursday, Oct 24th 2024, 09:40
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Wind energy is to be rapidly expanded in the canton of Lucerne. The government and parliament therefore want to introduce a cantonal planning approval procedure for large turbines. The SVP is opposed to this because it would disempower the local communities. The voters will decide on November 24.
The Lucerne cantonal government and cantonal council want the potential of wind energy to be better utilized. The cantonal structure plan provides for 22 areas in which wind turbines can be installed. However, the expansion is made more difficult because the project planning and realization of large plants can take over 20 years.
In the eyes of the government and parliament, one reason for the delays is individual interests in the local municipalities. In order to give greater weight to the public interest in the expansion of renewable energy, the municipal planning and project approval procedure is to be replaced by a cantonal one.
Municipalities remain responsible for small systems
However, the cantonal procedure should only apply to large wind turbines. For smaller plants with an annual production of less than 10 gigawatt hours, the local municipality should remain responsible. This means that voters there would still have the final say.
For the SVP, however, the municipalities' loss of power goes too far, and it has launched a referendum against the amendment to the Planning and Building Act. A cantonalization of the approval process would undermine the autonomy of the municipalities and curtail direct democracy, it explained.
Problem is not solved
For the SVP, the planned revision of the law does not solve the problem of long planning procedures. It is not the voters who are delaying procedures, but the complaints of environmental associations, it argues.
The proponents of the cantonal approval procedure, on the other hand, explain that this is nothing new. Cantonal procedures have already proven their worth in road and hydraulic engineering. In addition, the local community is consulted during the procedure and can also submit applications.
The first wind turbine in the canton of Lucerne went into operation in Entlebuch in 2005. A further turbine was built in 2011 and 2013. In 2020, 3.5 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity were generated from wind in the canton of Lucerne. By 2035, the target is 100 GWh, and 250 GWh by 2050. This would correspond to a quarter of the annual electricity consumption of all Lucerne households.
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