Wullersdorf wind farm project will continue

“We are of course continuing with our Wullersdorf wind farm project. Reports that the project has been cancelled are incorrect, especially since a positive assessment is already available for four turbines,” clarifies Markus Winter, Chief Technical Officer of Windkraft Simonsfeld.

Symbolic photo - (c) Klaus Rockenbauer

The wind farm was originally submitted as an EIA project with five turbines and a total capacity of 34 MW and, following several years of comprehensive review, was approved by the Lower Austrian provincial government in February 2025. Only afterwards did a pair of strictly protected imperial eagles settle in the project area. Windkraft Simonsfeld duly reported this development. As a result, on 27 August 2026, the Federal Administrative Court ruled that only one of the five turbines could not be approved due to its proximity to the nest.

Nevertheless, the Federal Administrative Court rejected the application for approval of all five turbines. This was not for nature conservation reasons, but because the removal of one turbine meant that the 30 MW threshold relevant for an EIA procedure was no longer reached. In the Court’s view, it was therefore no longer competent to decide on the appeals that had been lodged. According to this interpretation, the project would have to be resubmitted in a separate procedure to other authorities.

“We cannot understand this view. It is difficult to comprehend why the remaining four turbines, which have already undergone years of comprehensive review under the strictest criteria and with extensive public participation, should now have to be assessed again in a new procedure. This will lead to further delays without resulting in a higher standard of review. We take the legal view that a decision on the remaining four turbines would have been possible within the ongoing proceedings,” explains Winter.

From the company’s perspective, this view is also supported by an existing declaratory decision issued by the Province of Lower Austria. This confirms that the four-turbine project is subject to an environmental impact assessment.

“We will therefore conduct a comprehensive legal review of the Federal Administrative Court’s decision and take the necessary further steps. One thing is clear: we remain committed to the Wullersdorf wind farm and will continue to pursue the project consistently within the available legal approval framework,” Winter emphasises.