Verbund proposes nine-turbine wind farm in Thörl

Energy company Verbund is developing plans for its first wind farm in Styria, with nine turbines proposed near Etmissl in the municipality of Thörl. ORF reports that the project could supply green electricity to about 20,000 households.

The proposed Thörl West/Oisching wind farm would have nine turbines, each with a capacity of 6.5 megawatts. Verbund spokesperson Robert Zechner said the company had been measuring wind in the municipality for 18 months and was developing a project with an output of about 50 megawatts based on the data.

The state of Styria has designated Oisching as a priority zone for wind power, but the project must still undergo an environmental impact assessment. Zechner said that if the approval process begins in 2027, the wind farm could start operating in 2031.

Residents were briefed on the plans at a meeting in the Etmissl event hall on Wednesday evening. Mayor Christian Polaschek said some residents in the cadastral municipality of Etmissl were strongly critical of the project. He said the municipality had limited scope to influence such developments but would try to represent all residents.

Verbund is offering Thörl residents an electricity tariff of 9.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, fixed for 20 years. The municipality would receive 25,000 euros per turbine each year, or 225,000 euros annually if all nine are built.

Verbund already operates 321 wind turbines in Austria, Germany, Romania and Spain. Styria recently designated areas that could accommodate up to 135 new wind turbines under its wind power programme.