Magolsheim Wind Farm
Tailwind for Germany’s Wind Energy
While Fichtner’s wind power department has mainly been involved in international projects in recent years, wind farm projects in Germany are now a rapidly growing business segment. One of those current German projects is Magolsheim Wind Farm in the Swabian Alb region, where we are supporting the project developer with various services including comprehensive planning services and assistance with the permitting process. It is an example that shows what services the Fichtner Group can provide from a single source and with a single point of contact.
A wind farm will be built in the Swabian Alb, east of the Münsingen district of Magolsheim, by the end of 2025. The project was initiated by Schöller SI Erneuerbare GmbH, which is based in Reutlingen. After the first drafts for the technical layout of the wind farm were completed, the company contracted the Fichtner Group in autumn 2022 to provide services relating to the planning and permitting of the wind farm. The wind power department, where Fichtner pools its expertise on the turbines themselves and on wind farms in general, is taking the lead role and serves as the client’s point of contact.
Fichtner’s services for Magolsheim Wind Farm
Comprehensive Support from a Single Source
In addition to general project management, the colleagues at Fichtner cover all topics relevant for the development and implementation of the wind farm. This not only involves the selection and placement of the wind farm’s turbines. For example, roads and construction areas have to be planned, approved, put out to tender and ultimately implemented. In doing so, the impact on nature and agricultural land needs to be kept as low as possible. At the same time, however, requirements for road widths and curve radii for the transportation of rotor blades and other large components need to be taken into account, along with aspects relating to the securing of land. A team of transportation infrastructure engineers from Fichtner Water & Transportation GmbH is providing support in this area. The Fichtner team is also involved in the cable route and grid connection planning.
„This assignment demonstrates the wide range of expertise that the Fichtner Group can offer to successfully support such a project.“
A key part of the assignment is to assist in preparing the permit application dossier. The documents, reports and plans compiled by the wind energy and permitting experts together with Schöller SI Erneuerbare’s team to obtain permit approval for the wind farm are over 2,000 pages long and were submitted to the competent district administration in November 2023.
Key data for Magolsheim Wind Farm
(Only) Five Years from the Initial Idea to Implementation
As the example of Magolsheim Wind Farm shows, the authorities actively support the coordination and permitting procedures required for the realization of wind power plants. Permit approval times of well under a year are remarkable given the volume of documents and the individual complexity of each project.
„As project coordinator, I can contribute personally to making the energy supply in Germany more sustainable.“
Following an intensive review and continual discussions with Schöller SI Erneuerbare, the competent district administration granted the permit for the wind farm in March 2024. This means that construction work at the site can begin as planned in summer 2024. Fichtner will continue to closely support the project during the current contract award phase and the subsequent construction and erection phase. The rotors of the six Enercon E-175 EP5 wind turbines are scheduled to turn for the first time in autumn 2025 – five years after the initial idea for the wind farm.
Six wind turbines of the new Enercon E 175 EP5 model will be used at Magolsheim Wind Farm. They are optimized for wind conditions at inland locations and are currently in the final development phase at the manufacturer.
Visualization: Enercon GmbH
June 2024
Featured image: Schöller SI Erneuerbare GmbH
Web link:
Johannes Eckstein
Consulting Engineer
in the Wind Power Department
