The first LEAG wind farm has now been approved in accordance with the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). The project, which is being developed and built by EP New Energies GmbH (EPNE) on behalf of LEAG, has been given the green light for the construction of the planned 17 wind turbines with a total capacity of 102 MWp. The wind farm is being built in Lusatia near the town of Forst (Lausitz) on a recultivation area of the Jänschwalde open-cast mine.
"This is another milestone in the transformation of Lusatia into Germany's green powerhouse. Step by step, we want to connect up to 7 gigawatts of wind and solar power generation plants to the grid by 2030 and up to 14 gigawatts by 2040. In combination with long-term battery reservoirs and H2-ready gas power plants or pure H2 power plants, we want to make them available for base load," announces LEAG CEO Thorsten Kramer. "This change will already be clearly visible in the next few years with the commissioning of the first turbines in Forst-Briesnig, on the Cottbuser Ostsee, in Bohrau, Dissen, Boxberg and at other project sites."
"We are taking the energy transition in big steps. This is the second largest permit granted for an onshore wind farm in Germany to date," says Dominique Guillou, Managing Director of EPNE. "The Forst-Briesnig 2 wind farm alone and the adjacent Bohrau energy park, which is at an advanced stage of the development plan process, will add more than 500 MW of renewable capacity to the GigawattFactory account. We plan to start preparing the subsoil on the project site in the former open-cast mining area in the next few months."
The recultivation area of about 320 hectares on which Forst-Briesnig II is to be built is the responsibility of LEAG under mining law. It is currently being prepared for agricultural use together with ARGE Heinersbrück. In addition to agricultural use, the land is to be used for renewable energy production.
Simone Taubenek, mayor of the city of Forst (Lausitz), welcomes the project as the cornerstone for a magnet for new industrial settlements in the structural transformation: "A wind farm of this size in combination with sustainable storage concepts is a real prospect for the town of Forst (Lausitz) and the surrounding area because this green power supply strengthens our economic power by attracting new investors and companies. Green electricity from regional generation plus jobs for the future and municipal tax revenues are a clear success model for us, and we are happy to be part of it."
Commissioning of the Forst-Briesnig 2 wind farm is planned for 2025. The wind farm will then enter the grid with a capacity to feed in around 270,000 MWh of electricity per year. This corresponds to the annual electricity demand of 77,000 three-person households.