As part of its “Fit for 55 Package”, the European Commission has put forward a proposal for a revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). On top of this, the European Commission has put on the table in its REPowerEU package a new binding target of 45% of renewables in the EU energy mix by 2030 and proposals to simplify and fast-track permitting processes.
Long and complex permitting procedures remain an important bottleneck for the deployment of renewable energy projects, putting at risk the EU ability to deliver on its energy and climate goals. Accelerating renewables’ deployment and solving the permitting burden is even more urgent now, in view of the current energy crisis. Europe needs to scale up its renewable capacity to be energy independent from third countries. Under today’s framework, some projects to be initiated in the next 2 years can only expect a completion date after 2030.
This panel discussion looks at the EC proposals in the REPowerEU package on permitting i.e. what is proposed by the EC and what is needed to accelerate the deployment of renewables and solve the permitting bottlenecks. Key topics to be discussed include the main principles of the permit-granting process, the concept of overriding public interest, the definition of renewable go-to areas or tacit agreement.