14Apr 2023 
EU sets the pace for the expansion of renewables
Under the EU Emergency Regulation adopted at the end of 2022, the expansion of renewable energy and the grid will now be easier and faster. Licensing procedures, for example for wind turbines, now take much less time.
© Adobe Stock/jamesteohart
According to estimates, the regulations now transposed into German law mean that more than a year could be saved in the construction of new wind energy installations. To accelerate the process, the Wind Energy Area Requirements Act, the Offshore Wind Energy Act, the Energy Industry Act, and the Act on the Assessment of Environmental Impacts were amended.
Significantly swifter processes are to push expansion forward
For areas that have already been designated, no environmental impact assessment (EIA) or species protection law review will be required during the licensing procedure for renewable energy installations and grid expansion. The competent authorities must ensure that installation operators implement “appropriate and proportionate prevention and mitigation measures”. Otherwise (and in any case for electricity grids), financial compensation will be payable to a species protection programme.
Regulations apply to onshore and offshore wind and electricity grids
The regulations apply to all licensing procedures for onshore and offshore wind turbines and grid expansion with a nominal voltage of 110 kV or higher that begin before 30 June 2024. Licensing procedures that have already begun can also benefit from these simplifications under certain conditions. Operators will be given voting rights for ground-mounted PV installations.