EPNE and MIBRAG receive approval for a 13 MW wind farm in the Helmstedt mining district.
Two wind turbines with a total output of roughly 13 megawatts (MW) are being built to the south-west of Helmstedt. After a preceding planning and approval phase of approximately two years, the emission control authority of the district of Helmstedt in Lower Saxony issued its approval in accordance with the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) on November 6th, 2023. The approval procedure included an environmental impact assessment as well as public participation.
EP New Energies GmbH (EPNE) is realising the HSR 1 wind farm on behalf of MIBRAG GmbH and its fully owned subsidiary, Helmstedter Revier GmbH. The wind farm marks the start of a green energy landscape on former mining land in the Helmstedter district in the east of Lower Saxony.
"With the HSR 1 wind farm, we now manage at least one approved green energy project in all four federal states in which our group owns land," commented EPNE Managing Director Dominique Guillou on receiving the approval. "We now have a total of seven building permits. The transformation process of the mining regions is thus becoming more tangible."
For the Helmstedt mining district, the wind farm represents the first building block in the gradual reshaping of the former open-cast mining areas into a green energy landscape. The aim is to realise up to 470 MW of renewable energy. To this end, the sister companies MIBRAG and EPNE are identifying and developing further wind energy and solar projects that are currently at varying stages in their project development.
"With the wind farm in the Helmstedt district, we are realising another project for the production of green energy," explains Thomas Lehmann, Head of Renewable Energies at MIBRAG GmbH, adding: "With this and a number of other planned projects, we are actively participating in shaping the energy transformation. The aim for the medium term is to turn the Helmstedt mining district into a green energy hub of the future."
"Continuing the regional tradition of energy generation is very important to us. Together with corporate and political partners, we can shape the transformation of the opencast mining region," explains Armin Fieber, Managing Director of the Helmstedter Revier GmbH.
Preparations for construction on the project site of the former open-cast mining area of Helmstedt are set to begin in the coming months. EPNE plans for the wind farm to start operating in 2025.
EP New Energies GmbH
EP New Energies GmbH (EPNE) is transforming the opencast mining and power plant districts in Lusatia and Central Germany into renewable energy landscapes. With a project pipeline of more than 8 GW on secured sites, EPNE is one of the leading full-scope project developers for renewable energies in Germany. The project portfolio covers wind onshore, ground-mounted PV, floating PV, and hybrid projects. The wind and solar projects developed by EPNE are among the largest in Germany.
MIBRAG GmbH
Founded in 1994 and based in Zeitz (Saxony-Anhalt) not far from Leipzig, MIBRAG operates the open-cast mines Profen (Saxony-Anhalt) and United Schleenhain (Saxony). With 1,400 employees, the company is one of the major employers in the south of Saxony-Anhalt. MIBRAG is evolving from a mining company into a modern energy and industrial service provider.
Helmstedter Revier GmbH
The management of active and decommissioned operational areas is the core business of the Helmstedter Revier GmbH (HSR), which has its roots in opencast lignite mining and the associated coal-fired power generation. This includes the reutilisation of reclaimed mining areas as well as active area management, including the associated administrative and infrastructural tasks.
Your contact for further information:
Margarita Schulz, Team Lead Communications, EP New Energies GmbH
Phone 030 767584572, margarita.schulz@epne.de
Sebastian Exner, Head of Communications and Politics, MIBRAG GmbH
Phone 03441 684 – 339, sebastian.exner@mibrag.de
Charlotte Nullmeier, Head of Administration, Helmstedter Revier GmbH
Phone 05352 9439-4703, charlotte.nullmeier@helmstedterrevier.de
