The Danish Government has announced the supplementary screening of two possible areas for a third test centre for wind turbines.
The supplementary targeted screening will be carried out at the areas at Borris Shooting Range and north of the Østerild Test Center located in the municipalities of Ringkøbing-Skjern and Herning respectively.
In June, a working group examined six areas which could possibly be suitable for the establishment of a third, national test centre for tall wind turbines.
However, the screening showed that all the six screened areas entail challenges of a different nature.
Therefore, the group decided that the Planning and Rural District Agency should re-examine areas that have so far been excluded, with a view to be able to discuss the overall picture.
The may have been initially excluded due to the need for new road infrastructure, land reclamation and/or more expropriations than originally aimed for.
Minister for Rural Districts Louise Schack Elholm said: “We are faced with a complex and difficult political decision with many considerations.
“Therefore, before the summer vacation in the agreement group, we agreed that the Planning and Rural Development Agency should turn the tables and look at whether some of the areas that have been found to be too challenging should nevertheless be included in an overall assessment.
“And today there was agreement to carry out a supplementary targeted screening of two more areas.
“Because it is important that we have had all options on the table before we proceed with concrete environmental and habitat impact assessments.”
When the results of the supplementary targeted screening are available, expected at the end of 2023, the parties to the agreement will take a joint position on the possibilities of proceeding with the establishment of a third, national test center for large wind turbines.
This will also include the results of the original targeted screening of six areas, which the group was presented with in June 2023.
A possibly establishment of a test centre will subsequently in any case require a thorough impact assessment of the impact on the environment and nature as well as the people who are neighbours to the test centre.