A new era has begun in Austria for the operation of wind turbines. Burgenland Energie, in cooperation with air traffic control Austro Control, has become the first operator nationwide to officially implement the so-called demand-based night-time marking (BNK) system in the Andau wind farm.
This will end the continuous flashing of red warning lights at night on a total of 38 wind turbines. In the future, the red warning lights will only be activated when an aircraft is actually approaching the turbines. The legal basis for this technological step was previously established by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure after a multi-month test phase confirmed the system's reliability.
The technical implementation of the BNK (Bernese Wind Turbine Warning System) is based on a complex integration of radar and flight plan data by Austro Control. The system continuously monitors the airspace and defines a protection zone with a radius of at least eight kilometers around the wind turbines and a height of 600 meters above the highest point of the obstacle. The lighting only activates automatically when an aircraft or helicopter enters this defined area. A special safety feature has been integrated for rescue and emergency services: pilots on emergency missions can remotely activate the lighting at any time via the respective control centers to ensure maximum obstacle warning.
The Andau wind farm serves as a pilot project for a comprehensive conversion in the region. Further sites in Neusiedl, Weiden, and Parndorf are already undergoing the approval process for the technical retrofit. Burgenland Energie plans to equip all its wind turbines in Austria with this innovation by 2027. Special infrared lights and wind farm computers have been installed on the turbines at a height of approximately 150 meters. It is estimated that the demand-based control will allow the lights to remain switched off for up to 90 percent of the nighttime hours, significantly reducing the visual impact on the surrounding communities.
Industry experts consider the introduction of the BNK (Bernese Obstruction Network) a crucial factor in increasing public acceptance of wind farm sites. While aviation safety remains fully ensured through automated monitoring, the characteristic "sea of red lights" in the Seewinkel region largely disappears from the nighttime landscape. The development of this system took a total of four years, during which numerous technical tests and legal adjustments were carried out. With this innovation, Burgenland positions itself as a technological leader in energy infrastructure and sets new standards for the operation of high obstacles in Austrian airspace.