Europe’s onshore wind energy sector has questioned whether planned EU guidelines on permitting will be enough to deliver the rapid growth required to meet ambitious green energy targets.
The EU has confirmed that it will publish the guidelines in 2022, but wind industry leaders speaking at WindEurope’s annual conference in Copenhagen today have voiced concerns over the impact that the guidelines will have.
Enercon regional head of Central & Northern Europe Uli Südhoff told conference delegates that there is uncertainty about what the guidelines will mean for developers and how they could be enforced.
“Accelerating and simplifying the permitting process is key for the growth of onshore wind,” said Südhoff.
“We have seen some success in other countries such as France and Germany that have developed guidelines for onshore wind, but they need to be more rigid.”
The EU’s guidance is expected to require countries to ensure that onshore wind farms are permitted within 2 years, or 1 year for repowering projects, by simplifying procedures and introducing more digitalization of processes.
Currently in some EU markets, wind farms can take up to eight years or more to be licensed, and the issue is seen as a key barrier to the EU’s goal of achieving 1000GW of installed onshore wind capacity by 2050.
“We need more political leadership to help people understand what it will take to be carbon neutral,” said Aslaug Haga of NorWEA, the Norwegian Wind Energy Association.
“The 2030 targets are completely dependent on onshore wind and we will require a lot of investment in this segment.”
The success of the permitting process is also dependent on local acceptance, Haga said. “We need to speed up procedures, but with turbines getting larger, it is a fine balance.”
The industry can learn from other sectors such as hydropower in Norway and the mining industry about community engagement and financial compensation, Haga added.