12 July 2024
EU Member States must take urgent action on NECPs and overriding public interest
On 30 June two significant deadlines passed. First, Member States had to submit their revised National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) to the European Commission. Second, Governments had to implement the permitting provisions under the new Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII). On both fronts Member States are lagging behind. They must take urgent action. Otherwise the EU’s 2030 energy and climate targets are at risk.
On 30 June all 27 Member States were due to submit the final version of their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). This comes after the European Commission had reviewed their draft plans. The NECPs outline the national strategies countries will apply to meet the EU’s 42.5% renewable energy target by 2030. The Plans include initiatives in policy areas such as electrification, permitting, research and innovation and others. But only six countries — Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France and the Netherlands — have submitted their NECPs. That’s too little.
The NECPs are key for the deployment of renewables – Member States with sufficiently ambitious and credible Plans will attract more investments than others. Without visibility on future investments and clear national strategies the EU risks to miss its 2030 energy security and climate targets. It is crucial countries hand in their Plans as soon as possible.
Member States must make full use of “overriding public interest”
Permitting remains a major bottlenecks to the construction of new wind farms. Member States also had until the end of last month to implement the excellent permitting provisions under the new Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII). One of the most powerful RED III measures to improve permitting is the notion of “overriding public interest”. But only a handful of countries have implemented this in their national framework. Only Germany and Portugal have applied it in practice.
Germany was especially fast and determined in simplifying its permitting procedures and applying overriding public interest for renewable energy projects. And the results are impressive: Germany handed out 7.5 GW of new onshore wind permits in 2023, up from 4.2 GW in 2022 and 2021 and less than 2 GW in 2017-2019 respectively. And in the first quarter of 2024 Germany awarded permits for another 2.6 GW of new onshore wind projects already. Overriding public interest has helped to unblock projects that had been entangled in legal disputes. And it has made it easier for judges and permitting agents to support new wind energy projects when balancing different public interests.
The increase in new permits has had direct effects on auctions. The latest German auction around awarded 2.5 GW of wind projects. And Germany is now optimistic that they could award up to 10 GW of new onshore capacity in 2024.
“Most national Governments haven’t done their homework fast enough. Permitting is improving in some countries but EU-wide permitting volumes still fall short from what we need to reach the EU energy security and climate targets. Governments need to transpose the excellent new REDIII rules asap, especially overriding public interest. It’s one of the most powerful tools in toolbox. The German example has shown what’s possible. Other Governments need to follow suit and make full use of overriding public interest”, says Guy Willems, Advisor Environment & Community Engagement at WindEurope.
