The application of integrated spatial and energy planning (ISEP) : a case study of wind turbines planning in lower Austria

Abstract

Wind turbines have a wide range of environmental impacts, including interference with the landscape, biodiversity, and ecological habitats. The resulting land-use competitions make forward-looking and institutionally anchored spatial planning necessary to achieve a balanced spatial development. In Lower Austria, this is addressed by the concept of Integrated Spatial and Energy Planning (ISEP), which is defined as “[...] an integral component of spatial planning that looks at the spatial dimensions of energy consumption and energy supply in general” (Thalhammer & Stoeglehner, 2014, p. 11). However, despite the existence of planning instruments such as suitability zones in Lower Austria, which objective it is to coordinate the development of wind energy under the concept of ISEP, there is a discrepancy between how these formal structures are intended to affect the planning process of wind turbines and how they are designed in practice.This master's thesis adopts the wind turbine planning in Lower Austria as the case. The reason for selecting Lower Austria as a case study is the history of wind energy development in this federal state, which has made it the federal state with the most wind turbines installed in Austria (eNu, 2025). The planning process of wind turbines is illustrated and reconstructed through the lens of the theoretical framework of New Institutionalism, which emphasizes the interplay between institutional structures and the actions of relevant stakeholder. The methodology for this study includes guideline-based expert interviews and document-based analysis. In light of the ISEP concept, the planning process is understood and analysed as a social learning process in which adjustments can be made both at the level of measures (Single-Loop Learning) and at the level of fundamental value orientations (Double-Loop Learning) (Stoeglehner et al., 2016, pp. 91ff.). The analysis shows that technical and location-based alternatives are frequently applied during the planning process, but the fundamental change of value orientations demanded by stakeholders has not yet taken effect.The thesis concludes with a synthesis of lessons learned from the Lower Austrian case. These include the importance of conditional cooperation between the federal government, the state, and the municipalities, as the higher planning levels design the planning instruments for the development of wind turbines; but the final application depends on the acceptance of the municipalities. In an attempt to reduce theAbstractdecision-making powers of municipalities, higher-level authorities passed the Environmental Impact Assessment Act 2023 (EIA-A 2023). However, this initiative failed to achieve its intended goals and instead undermined the mutual trust that is essential for the multi-level cooperation envisaged in the ISEP concept. For stakeholders, the approval of municipalities remains an essential prerequisite without which projects cannot be developed. This fact emphasizes the central role of municipalities as representatives of the local population. In addition to formal requirements, informal norms emerging from stakeholder behaviors also shape planning outcomes. For instance, the increasing complexity of environmental impact assessments reflects stakeholders’ attempts to safeguard their decisions against legal objections. This informal practice inadvertently increases the complexity of applying the ISEP concept in practice.Only when spatial planners incorporate the culture and values of a society into formal structures is it possible to shape the planning process for wind turbines in line with the ISEP concept and coordinate development in spatial harmony.These findings are embedded in the broader discourse of spatial planning and highlight that energy-related land-use competitions are not purely technical but address the topics of spatial governance, institutional design and multi-level planning cooperation. The results therefore provide insights into how the integrated spatial and energy planning can be embedded in spatial planning frameworks to coordinate wind energy development.