Germany's most populous state abolishes controversial minimum-distance rule for wind turbines near homes

Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, has abolished the controversial rule setting a minimum distance between wind turbines and homes, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported. It has thus become one of only three German states that do not apply such a rule across the board.

The governing coalition in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, comprising the conservative CDU and the Greens, pushed through the abolition of the rule requiring wind turbines to be at least 1,000 metres from residential buildings. Critics considered the rule one of the main reasons for the slow development of wind power in the state in recent years.

In their bill, the state government coalition parties argued that accelerating the expansion of renewable energy would help lower electricity prices and improve security of supply. They noted, however, that this would work only “if acceptance among people across the country is secured and further increased”.