“Not only is it good for our planet, it also gives boost to green growth locally, adds substantial income to many and gives both municipalities a steady flow of tax income for years to come..”
Nine turbines, an investment worth €37 million shared by 174 local owners: this is the HN Windpark. The H stands for Hörup, a small village of 600 people in the Northwest of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's northernmost state neighbouring Denmark, and the N stands for Nordhackstedt, a neighbouring village. The two villages collaborated in the planning and permitting, and investment was limited to the inhabitants. The celebratory address at the opening, which took place on 20 September, was delivered to a full hall of people at the Hörup inn by GWEC's chairman, Klaus Rave, who was the guest of honour of the event. And there sure was a reason to celebrate! This joint effort as such is already remarkable, but most importantly, it boosts green growth locally, adds substantial income to many and gives both municipalities a steady flow of tax income for years to come.
When the first turbines were built in the neighbourhood about twenty years ago, there was never any doubt about the bankability of the project, financed by the Landesbank Bremen and a local savings bank. The cash flow was easy to calculate and 15 % equity not hard to come by. And more will follow; more land has been made available for wind farms, in addition to repowering, which is needed as many wind farms have run and generated electricity for more than twenty years. The local people will be in the driver's seat for any new investment. In the municipality of Friedrich-Wilhelm-Lübke-Koog, 400 of the 600 inhabitants are already owners, a number hard to beat. But the competition is on.
