News
Here, we provide you with information on dates and the latest developments.
A planning application has been submitted for the construction of a green electricity storage facility at the Leißnitz solar park.
The construction of the new Beeskow-Leißnitz substation (including a fire-fighting water intake) has been approved in the Bornow district. Construction has already been completed.
The construction of the new ground-mounted photovoltaic plant, with a rated capacity of approximately 80 MWp, north of the Leißnitz district of the town of Friedland (in the municipalities of Kummerow and Leißnitz), has been approved by the Oder-Spree district authority.
The “Leißnitz Solar Park” development plan comes into force today following its publication in the Official Gazette of the City of Friedland.
“This marks the starting point for us. We are delighted to be moving on to the implementation phase following the planning stage,” says Andreas Johann, the project developer responsible at NOTUS energy.
The Oder-Spree district authority has today approved the ‘Leißnitz Solar Park’ development plan. In doing so, the district administration has confirmed that our project meets the necessary requirements and guidelines relating to spatial planning and environmental impact.
The law requiring the payment of a special levy to local authorities for ground-mounted photovoltaic installations has come into force.
In practical terms, this means that we will pay the town of Friedland around 160,000 euros a year once the Leißnitz solar park is completed.
“We welcome the legal framework for local authority participation,” said Andreas Johann, the project developer responsible at NOTUS energy.
At the beginning of November, we submitted the planning application for the Leißnitz solar park to the district authority. This means that all the necessary planning work has been completed and we are now awaiting planning permission.
We have signed an important contract today. In future, the town of Friedland will receive two euros from us for every megawatt-hour of electricity fed into the grid. And this will apply right from the start. The payment is voluntary, but for us it goes without saying.
The financial participation of local authorities was first regulated two years ago in Section 6 of the EEG. Since then, we have been permitted to share our profits from electricity generation with the local communities where our plants are located. The projected revenue for the town of Friedland amounts to approximately 160,000 euros per year, depending on the level of sunshine.
“The payment is voluntary for operators, but for us at NOTUS it is a natural responsibility towards the communities in which we operate,” says Andreas Johann, the project developer responsible at NOTUS energy.
Having weighed up all public and private interests, the Friedland Town Council today passed the by-law resolution for our planned solar park.
Andreas Johann, project developer at NOTUS energy: “With this resolution, the town of Friedland reaffirms its intention to contribute to the generation of renewable energy. The next step is to apply for planning permission. We are confident that this will be granted in early 2024.”
Once the project is successfully commissioned, we will be able to generate climate-friendly electricity for over 22,000 households every year. This is expected to happen in late 2024 or early 2025. The Leißnitz solar park will thus prevent approximately 28,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.
The formal consultation with the authorities and the public concluded on 24 May 2023. For four weeks, local residents and the authorities had the opportunity to view our plans at Friedland Town Hall and submit comments. In the next stage, the town of Friedland will take the comments received into account when deciding on the local development plan.
“Public consultation allows us to hear the views of the local community and respond to their wishes and suggestions,” explains Andreas Johann, project manager at NOTUS energy.
The Potsdam-based company NOTUS energy is planning an open-space solar park on grassland and arable land north-west of the town of Friedland. Local residents can now find comprehensive information about the project on the website www.solarpark-leissnitz.de. “We are presenting our plans and inviting anyone interested to get an idea of what it will look like,” explains Andreas Johann, project manager at NOTUS energy.
The solar park, with an estimated area of 70 hectares, is to be built in the triangle between the town of Friedland, Leißnitz and Kummerow. “Due to its location in the forest, the solar park will be barely visible from any vantage point. We will be planting a three-row hedge along the edges that would otherwise be visible,” explains Andreas Johann. In this way, arable land with low yields and grassland will be transformed into new habitats for protected bird species, insects and small mammals. With a peak output of around 70 megawatts, the solar park will be able to supply climate-friendly electricity to over 22,000 households.
On our website, interested parties will find site plans showing the locations, as well as summaries of the nature conservation reports and information on the mitigation measures that will benefit local nature conservation. We also provide details on the technology used and the climate protection plans of the municipality of Friedland.
“Please feel free to contact us at any time with your concerns and questions. We will endeavour to provide you with factual, comprehensive and prompt answers.”
