At the end of March, European Union officials provisionally agreed to reform permitting procedures in a suite of revisions to the 2018 EU Renewable Energy Directive that aim to accelerate wind and solar growth and hit a new higher renewable energy target of 42.5% of gross energy consumption by 2030.
The permitting of wind and solar projects currently takes several years due to complex administrative processes and a lack of resources at approval authorities. Around 80 GW of new wind capacity is tied up in permitting procedures, including 59 GW onshore, according to industry group WindEurope.
The revisions to the Directive strengthen last year’s emergency permitting measures, which set a two-year maximum for permitting new projects and one year for repowering projects, require member states to create accelerated deployment areas and define solar and wind as projects of overriding public interest. Under the revisions, the deadlines would apply to all permit applications submitted from January 2023, including grid connection and environmental impact assessments (EIAs).
Recent Comments