2003/4: Two special projects for WKN

In 2013, PNE WIND AG acquired a majority stake in the wind farm development company WKN AG (Husum). Long before that, Stephan Eidinger, who now oversees land acquisition at PNE, joined WKN. “There were only a handful of us when I started at WKN in 1998. It had a start-up character, presenting me with a fantastic opportunity to help shape it from the very beginning,” said Eidinger.

He particularly remembers two projects from this time: the Porep-Jännersdorf wind farm, which WKN built in 2004. Featuring 31 wind turbines, it would ultimately be of considerable importance to the future of the company on account of its size. The other project was the Zitz-Warchau wind farm, which was approved by the licensing authority in 2003 between a summer and a winter habitat for the great bustard. The great bustard is a large cursorial bird that resembles an emu. Conservation groups intervened. “We sometimes sat in the office late into the night, ordering pizza and trying to resolve the issue. The licensing authority was threatening to withdraw the permit. It was a real nerve-racking time.” In the end, an agreement was reached to improve the package of compensatory measures, enabling WKN to build the wind farm.