Wind Farm Langenbach

The varying height of the installations is partly due to requirements from air traffic control, as the US Air Force base at Ramstein is located nearby. The regional development plan allows only one taller installation in this area to ensure the safety of air traffic. Additionally, the distance from residential buildings had to be considered depending on the size of the installation.

The project took several years for a number of reasons. Initially, the planning regulations took a lot of time. This was followed by lengthy assessments related to nature conservation and species protection. Additionally, the insolvency of the originally planned equipment manufacturer, Senvion, caused delays, as the appropriate equipment type was difficult to obtain. All these factors, combined with the new state development plan from 2016 and ongoing consultations with the armed forces, further postponed the commissioning.

Only two of the planned six turbines could be implemented, as several challenges had to be taken into consideration: The land use plan for the red kite and the black kite, sound assessments to protect local residents, as well as aviation regulations in coordination with the German armed forces, made it necessary to scale down the project in this form. The combination of these factors led to the realisation of only two turbines.

In the region, several projects are in planning. Firstly, there is the existing wind farm in Warnwegen. In addition, a single turbine in Albessen is planned as a sort of extension to the Langenbach wind farm. Furthermore, a repowering project is on the agenda in Sankt Wendel to replace older turbines with more modern, efficient models.

The name of the wind farm has historical reasons. Originally, several of the first six turbines were planned to be located in the district of Langenbach, but these were eventually cancelled. Nevertheless, the name was retained as it originated from the initial planning stages.