The local communities of Munderfing, Lengau, St. Johann am Walde, Maria Schmolln and Schalchen have given the green light for the construction of up to 19 new wind turbines, Energie AG reported on Tuesday. According to their schedule, the plants could be operational in 2028.
In the five local councils, the initiation of the spatial planning zoning, the approval of the initiation of the environmental impact assessment and a cooperation agreement with the project applicants were decided, it said in a press release. The Kobernausserwald wind farm is being developed by a consortium consisting of Energie AG Oberösterreich, Austrian Federal Forestry and EWS Consulting.
Also read: 19 additional locations for wind turbines in the Kobernausserwald examined (OÖNplus)
Energie-AG CEO Leonhard Schitter calculated that the new wind turbines could generate 250 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity per year and thus cover the electricity needs of 10 percent of Upper Austrian households. That is about three times the current wind power generation in Upper Austria. If the project is submitted for environmental impact assessment in the first half of 2024, the company expects a legally valid EIA decision by 2026 and is targeting commissioning of the facilities in 2028.
