Energiekontor gets approval for 130 MWp of solar projects in Germany

German renewables developer and operator Energiekontor AG (ETR:EKT) said today it has received approval to set up three subsidy-free solar parks in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with a total capacity of almost 130 MWp.

The three solar plants will be built on 150 hectares (370.7 acres) in Dettmannsdorf, in the district of Western Pomerania-Ruegen with construction work set to begin at the start of 2023. Once operational in 2024, the facilities should supply about 40,000 households with green power and offset around 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

The solar parks will not receive state subsidies under the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) and the electricity produced will be sold under 15-year power purchase agreements (PPA) that are already in place.

The projects will be realised via the so-called Planning Deviation Procedure -- a new approval procedure introduced by the state in 2021 that allows the use of up to 5,000 hectares of agricultural land in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for solar power generation. This is a deviation from the land-use planning and can be applied if projects meet certain criteria such as specifications and participation of local municipalities.

Solar parks are a key component of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's strategy as the state aims to cover the entire energy demand for electricity, heat and mobility from renewables by 2035.

"With the Planning Deviation Procedure, there is an instrument in which a deviation from land-use planning can be permitted on individual basis, for a concrete project and a specific regional location. This gives municipalities and investors a good opportunity to push ahead with further projects," said the state's economy minister Reinhard Meyer.

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