France is set to announce proposals tomorrow to streamline the rules for onshore wind development.
The proposals are the result of several months of meetings of an onshore wind working group, which included government officials and market participants.
Industry is asking for a so-called ‘envelope permit’ for onshore wind farms that would allow developers to make technology choices at late stages in project development.
Other industry demands include simplified permitting procedures for repowering and more financial benefits for local communities to decrease opposition to projects.
Areas reserved for military training and radars could also be reduced to allow for more onshore wind development. These zones are believed to be large enough to host projects with a total capacity of 6GW.
Grid connections may have to be completed more quickly and so be less costly to developers.
The proposals would still have to go through Parliament before becoming effective.
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Crunch time for French onshore
By EBS