The municipality of Midden-Groningen must repay more than half a million euros to the owners of the wind farm along the N33. The penalties imposed by the municipality are unjustified.
The judge has decided that. The case was brought by the owners of the wind farm: RWE and Windpark Vermeer. In 2021 they got into a conflict with the municipality of Midden-Groningen. He demanded that the flashing lights on the windmills be turned off.
Penalties
When the operators failed to do so, the municipality imposed penalty payments. The first penalty amounted to 100,000 euros, the second to 400,000 euros.
Residents were driven crazy by the flashing white lights in the 35 turbines at Meeden, Scheemda and Veendam. The lights have continued to flash all these years and the complaints have remained, reports Johan Mulder, the secretary of the Village Council in Meeden. “Too bad this has been decided.”
Fly safely
The flashing mills are subject to a maze of rules and regulations. Firstly, the standards of the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT). This requires that the turbines flash so that aircraft do not accidentally crash into the turbines.
In 2021, the Groningen Environment Agency (ODG) correctly ruled that the flashing lights were in violation of the rules that apply to wind turbines. Possibly, the judge ruled, but these rules are currently being adjusted so they are no longer leading.
The collected money has not yet been spent by the municipality because the municipality already suspected that it would be reversed. So why the compulsion? “As a municipality, we do what we can,” responds alderman Erik Drenth. “Our residents are terribly affected by the windmills. If we see an opportunity to improve this, we will seize it.”
Humming sound
Residents have been complaining about the maddening hum of the windmills for two and a half years. This is especially audible at lower wind speeds. It is generally assumed that this is due to the mills themselves. Earlier this year, manufacturer Siemens adjusted the settings of the mills. According to many local residents, this has yielded little.