SKANDERBORG: The City Council of Skanderborg Municipality has adopted five new criteria on Wednesday, which will form the basis for the selection in the future. of solar cell and wind turbine projects in the municipality. The criteria will be used in prioritizing future applications for renewable energy plants. The municipality announced this in a press release.
The decision means that the previous standard for establishing renewable energy plants will be repealed. Instead, Municipal Plan 25 and the new criteria will ensure a more targeted selection of projects, among other things based on experiences from the first application round.
- We have not hidden the fact that the process of establishing renewable energy plants was new to us. Among other things, we involved the citizens much earlier than usual, knowing that we would probably have to adjust the process. That is what we are doing now, says Frands Fischer, mayor of Skanderborg Municipality.
A central element of the new criteria is that projects must have a certain size to be considered. This means that proposals must include at least three wind turbines or solar cell plants on at least 100 ha - or a similar total effect. At the same time, priority is given to locations along highways and near existing energy and infrastructure facilities.
There is also a requirement that developers have entered into advance agreements with landowners and any purchase of homes before the projects are submitted. In addition, local support is highly valued, for example through local ownership or involvement of the local area. At the same time, the projects must comply with the municipal plan guidelines, including consideration of areas designated as unsuitable for solar cell systems.
In parallel with the new criteria, the municipality has contacted Energinet to obtain clarity about the capacity of the electricity grid. New connections have been temporarily put on hold, which may affect the realization of future projects.
The municipality expects to open a new application round with a deadline of August 7, 2026. After that, submitted projects will be considered politically in December 2026.
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Brief summary of the five criteria:
- Minimum three wind turbines or 100 ha of solar cells - or equivalent effect
- Location primarily by highways or existing energy plants
- Preliminary agreements with landowners and possibly acquisition must be in place
- Projects with local support are prioritized
- Must comply with the municipal plan's guidelines and designations
