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Winegrowers from Hochheim in the Rheingau region are opposing the route of the planned "Rhine-Main Link" power line. The underground route currently favoured by the Federal Network Agency would cross several historic vineyards, such as the large VDP vineyards Kirchenstück and Hölle as well as Erste Lage Domdechaney (pictured above), over a width of 70 metres during the construction period. According to a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), everything would be dug up 70 metres wide for the construction work, after which no more vines would be allowed to grow in a 40-metre-wide aisle because vines are deep-rooted. "These middle sites are the prime locations, we would then only have the peripheral sites left," explained Hochheim VDP winegrower Gunter Künstler. In addition, the transmission system operator Amprion has already announced to the winegrowers that preliminary work is planned for the autumn - in the middle of the grape harvest. The wineries fear that their vineyards will be destroyed and are therefore in favour of an alternative route.
The power line planned by Amprion with the help of artificial intelligence is intended to transport wind energy from the North Sea coast to the Rhine-Main region. None of the winegrowers question the necessity of the construction project, they are only concerned about the route. According to the FAZ report, they have already appealed to the Federal Network Agency several times to choose a different route. Some of the responses were contradictory. The Rhine-Main Planning Association had also not been involved.
There were two route proposals: a western variant and an eastern variant. While the western variant largely bypasses Hochheim and would only destroy seven hectares of vineyards, the eastern variant runs right through the best locations in the town: Domdechaney, Reichestal, Kirchenstück and Hölle. Around 33 hectares of vineyards would be affected by the eastern option during construction and 19 hectares after completion of the work. Around 224 hectares of forest would also be affected.
The winegrowers emphasise that this is not just about a few arable fields and personal concerns. "A vineyard cannot be replaced," Peter Seyffardt from the Rheingau Winegrowers' Association told the FAZ. Moreover, only a few winegrowers would benefit from the financial equalisation of land, as most of the land was leased.
The variant worked out by the winegrowers is a slight deviation from the western variant and is intended to run gently at great depth under the vineyards. However, this would lead to significantly higher construction costs. The Hessian Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment are backing the winegrowers. They now have to appeal to the federal politicians, for which they are providing support. The winegrower Simon Schreiber has already published a petition to save the vineyards. It remains to be seen whether the local politicians will now be listened to in Berlin.
(ru / FAZ, Hessenschau)