MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - When it comes to the expansion of wind power in Bavaria, the SPD wants to use a referendum to finally bring down the controversial 10H rule. "We need several thousand additional wind turbines in Bavaria. This is the only way we can lower electricity prices and secure jobs. And only in this way can we achieve our climate targets. The recent patchwork of the black-orange coalition is not enough," said SPD state leader Florian von Brunn in Munich on Friday. For a petition for a referendum to abolish the 10H rule, the SPD wants to first approach possible alliance partners in the coming weeks. First the Bavarian broadcast had reported on the topic.

The 10H rule, introduced by former Prime Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) in 2014, stipulated that the distance between wind turbines and the nearest residential area should generally be at least ten times their construction height. The rule had brought the expansion of wind energy in Bavaria to a virtual standstill in recent years - while 400 permit applications were submitted in 2013, by 2020 there were only three.

For von Brunn, a complete abolition of the 10H rule is absolutely necessary. The relaxation in the form of a few exceptions recently decided by the state government around Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is not enough, he says, and the expansion of wind power plants will continue to be slowed down, since the federal wind expansion law will only really take effect in a few years.

Since mid-November, wind turbines can be built in Bavaria with a uniform minimum distance of 1000 meters from residential areas. In addition, the distance rule will no longer apply along highways or railroad tracks, in commercial areas or in forests.

"But we don't have that much time for that," von Brunn said. "Söder's requirements are a pure bureaucracy monster. We won't achieve the wind power goals in the Free State with them. That's why the referendum is so important." All that is needed, he said, is to remove all special regulations from the building code. "Then wind turbines could be approved again according to the principles that apply in almost all of Germany without blocking."

For a referendum to abolish the 10H rule, the SPD first wants to approach possible alliance partners in the coming weeks. "We would be pleased if many other democratic parties and associations support the cause," von Brunn said. For him, a start of the signature collections from March or April is conceivable - but the concrete procedures are still open.

It is therefore also unclear whether the petition for a referendum can be brought to a conclusion at all in this legislative period, i.e. before the state parliamentary elections at the beginning of October. In the first step, the initiators would first have to collect at least 25,000 signatures for the petition to be officially approved. Then comes the biggest hurdle - at least ten percent of all eligible voters, around 950,000 citizens, must hand in their signatures at the town halls within 14 days.

After that, the state government must issue a statement and the state parliament must decide whether or not to approve the petition for a referendum. Should this not be the case, a referendum would be held, in which the citizens would then enshrine the referendum as law.

Von Brunn said that without a significant increase in wind power, Bavaria would also face higher electricity prices. He said the European Union is therefore looking into higher electricity prices for southern Germany, as the construction of major power lines is also lagging behind here. "This leads to problems and shortages in the power supply in Bavaria. At the moment, a consultation process is already underway about the formation of electricity price zones in Germany. We definitely don't want that."/had/DP/mis