Environmental Impact Study in the Regional Planning Procedure “Baltic 1”

The wind farm “Baltic 1” with 21 wind turbines is located 15 km north of the peninsula Fischland/Darß. Originally planned by Offshore Ostsee Wind AG, today it is operated by EnBW Ostsee Offshore GmbH. The approval process consisted of two steps, the regional planning procedure and the final licensing. OECOS conducted a visual impact analysis twice as part of the environmental impact studies for “Baltic 1”, within both steps of the permit procedure. The objective was to estimate the visual effects of the project as realistically as possible. The forecast of the anticipated visual impacts of the project was based on an initial site analysis and visualizations from different viewpoints on the coast. As a result, it was concluded that the construction of the offshore wind farm did not lead to significant or lasting interferences with the visual quality of the landscape.

In its early days the project “Baltic 1” was accompanied by numerous protests, since residents and the tourism industry worried about significant impairments. The landscape analysis in particular was the focus of criticism. However, the results of the landscape analysis also held up judicial scrutiny, and today, after the offshore wind farm has been built, the project proves to be completely compatible to the quality of the landscape, even according to directly adjacent coastal residents.