MEPs on the Industry, Research and Energy Committee have backed a proposal to speed up the granting of permits for renewable energy projects, electricity grids, storage facilities, and recharging stations across the European Union, as part of the broader European grids package. The draft legislation introduces shorter deadlines, a single national digital portal for all permitting steps, and a dedicated EU-wide permitting framework for electricity grid infrastructure.
In their amendments, MEPs want to broaden and strengthen the presumption of over-riding public interest for renewable energy projects and electricity grids. They want to remove the possibility for EU member states to restrict, or create exceptions to, this presumption, except in duly justified cases strictly necessary to protect formally designated cultural heritage.
MEPs also want new rules, accelerated deadlines and more transparency for grid connection procedures. Procedures must not exceed three months, and, if the deadline passes, some projects should be tacitly approved. New grid connection deadlines are introduced for installation in and outside acceleration areas (six to nine months, depending on location and technology).
MEPs also suggest raising the capacity thresholds triggering the requirement for a permit, from 100 kW to 200 kW for small-scale solar installations, energy storage and recharging stations. Similarly, no administrative permits will be needed for the installation of recharging stations with a total installed capacity of 1MW or less on artificial structures.
The threshold for mandatory benefit sharing (the redistribution of economic benefits generated by the project to local communities hosting or affected by it) should be lowered from 10 MW to 7 MW, say MEPs. Renewable energy communities and citizen-developed projects are explicitly exempted from the obligation. MEPs emphasise that vulnerable households should receive an adequate share of benefits.
MEPs also propose the introduction of a one-month permitting deadline for heat pumps below 50 MW (three months for ground-source), with tacit approval.
Source: European Parliament
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