Bavaria will build 1,000 new wind turbines - state premier

Bavarian state premier Markus Söder has announced plans to build “over 1,000 new wind turbines” in Germany's largest state, which has been accused of putting the brakes on the expansion of windpower. Bavaria invests one billion euros in renewable energies per year, more than any other German state, Söder told broadcasting station ZDF. Söder said the expansion of renewable energies must be prioritised and expedited quickly in order to become more independent of Russion imports. Söder noted that his state has less potential than other states to focus on wind power, which is why it is doing more in the way of other renewable energies such as photovoltaics, hydropower and bioenergy. Söder stressed that Germany must become independent from Russian fuel supplies as quickly as possible, because Russian president Vladimir Putin “is playing a game with us.”

Industrial powerhouse Bavaria has been reluctant to boost wind power, the country’s most important renewable power source. The state’s contested "10-H rule," whereby new turbines must be built at a distance from residential areas equaling at least ten times the turbine’s height, has meant that Bavaria only added three new turbines in the first half of this year.