A wind farm doesn’t spring up overnight. It takes several years from the initial idea to commissioning. It all begins with finding suitable sites and partners. Together with the local council of St Julian and private landowners, the municipal utilities have already successfully taken this first step. The project is an exciting one. The shared aim is to responsibly harness regional potential through a wind farm and to create long-term, sustainable solutions for local residents.
The SWK’s concept focuses on strengthening Kaiserslautern and the Palatinate as business locations. The Lauterecken-Wolfstein association of municipalities, comprising 41 local communities, has also developed a pioneering solidarity pact which distributes the very different levels of revenue received by the respective municipalities from the EEG levies more fairly across the entire association.
In a discussion with Philipp Gruber, he also presented his idea to Stadtwerke Kaiserslautern to expand this solidarity pact and, where possible, distribute a significant proportion of all municipal revenue from renewable energies on a solidarity basis. The regional model focuses on value creation. This is the key difference compared to the offerings of many large competitors. The municipality of St Julian, which owns a large part of the land on which the wind farm is to be built, has already given the go-ahead. SWK began planning the turbines in 2024.
The collaboration has been characterised by a high degree of trust right from the start. The municipal utility, which sees itself as the Palatinate’s energy partner, attaches great importance to working on an equal footing. This is also confirmed by the mayor, Philipp Gruber: “The constructive and trusting collaboration, as well as the thorough technical assessment, give me great confidence in this project. Not least because we are actively kept informed about all successes and the next steps. A sustainable energy supply is a key factor for the future of our community. The fact that the SWK’s concept also involves the community, the region and, consequently, all residents makes it particularly valuable to us.”
The municipal utility company also confirms that the collaboration is working exceptionally well. Konstantin Kosin, Head of the ‘Renewable Energies’ division, emphasises how important direct contact with the community is to him too: “For us, regional value creation is always a top priority. We want to be a reliable partner on an equal footing and, as such, we too are looking for dependable partners who will work with us to drive the regional energy transition forward. We have found such partners in St. Julian. As the Palatinate’s energy partner, it is important for us to maintain a presence in the region. That is why, for example, we were also represented at the Kerwe festival in Gumbsweiler last year. We are also in regular close contact with the mayor and the local council. Our aim is to work together to make this project a success for everyone involved.”
In a face-to-face meeting with the mayor, Philipp Gruber, and the first deputy mayor, Thomas Wendland, SWK’s ‘Renewable Energies’ team provided an update on the project’s progress and the next steps. Once the planned wind farm is operational, it will be able to supply electricity to around 3,500 average households (averaging 4,000 kWh per year).