NABU Files Complaint against Butendiek OWF

Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (NABU) filed a complaint against the construction of the Butendiek offshore wind farm to the Administrative Court in Köln on April 17, with reference to the Environmental Damage Act.

The environmental association is concerned about the possible effects on protected marine birds and porpoises. The Butendiek offshore wind farm will be located 32 kilometers west of Sylt, in the midst of the Habitats Directive (FFH) territory “Sylt Outer Reef” and the EU Birds Directive area in “Eastern German Bight”, the NABU says.

The addressee of the complaint is the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.

According to NABU, the construction should be immediately stopped to prevent damage to the conservation of marine nature and breach of the relevant law.

NABU claims that the project should not have been consented in its current form, as there were some errors in the planning and approval processes.

“We therefore welcome the fact that the German government has reduced the offshore wind expansion targets to 6.5 gigawatts by 2020. This gives us the opportunity to put critical projects to the test and, if necessary, to stop them without obstructing the energy transition,” said NABU’s Managing Director Leif Miller.

Offshore WIND Staff, April 28, 2014; Image: owp-butendiek