Imperial eagle nest blocks Wullersdorf wind farm
Friday 28th August 2026 on 14:30 in
Austria
Austria’s Federal Administrative Court has ruled that five planned wind turbines in Wullersdorf, in the Hollabrunn district, may not be built because an imperial eagle nest is too close to one of the turbines, ORF reported.
The project included five turbines with a combined capacity of 34 megawatts. Because this exceeded the statutory 30-megawatt threshold for an environmental impact assessment, Lower Austria’s provincial government initially conducted a simplified assessment procedure.
The turbines were approved in February 2025. Shortly afterwards, the nest of an imperial eagle pair was discovered in the project area, about 70 metres from one of the planned turbines.
Lower Austria’s environmental ombudsman’s office, an environmental organisation and a citizens’ initiative challenged the provincial government’s decision before the Federal Administrative Court.
In a review procedure, the court commissioned an expert assessment focusing on animals, plants and their habitats. The assessment found that one of the five turbines could not be authorised because its location near the imperial eagle nest would breach legal protections prohibiting the killing of protected species.
The imperial eagle is classified as highly endangered, meaning that an exemption from species-protection rules was not possible, the court said.
The court also rejected partial approval for the remaining four turbines. Their combined capacity would fall below the 30-megawatt threshold, meaning the project would no longer require an environmental impact assessment. The court said this would be legally impermissible because the authorities that had handled the case, including the Federal Administrative Court, would no longer have jurisdiction.
Changing the project was also ruled out for legal reasons. The court did not allow an ordinary appeal to the Administrative Court because it found no unresolved legal questions. The project leaders can still file an extraordinary appeal or submit a new application to the competent authorities.