Stricter rules, new exclusion zones and a “cut-off” at 1,200 meters for wind farms, ban on wind turbines in Attica

With stricter restrictions connected the siting of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) projects, a caller maximum onshore sum bounds for photovoltaic (solar) installations, and a “cut-off” for the installation of upwind farms successful areas supra 1,200 meters altitude, the caller Special Spatial Planning Framework for RES aims to wholly reshape the scenery of vigor improvement successful the country.

The Ministry of Environment and Energy is, for the archetypal time, introducing a unified, stricter acceptable of rules for the siting of large-scale renewable vigor projects, aiming to harvester the acceleration of the vigor modulation with biology protection, the safeguarding of productive land, and equilibrium with section communities.

The caller model covers each large renewable vigor technologies and storage, including photovoltaics, upwind farms, tiny hydropower projects, biomass, biogas and biofuels units, geothermal installations, and— for the archetypal time—energy retention systems specified arsenic batteries. The caller rules exclude projects already successful cognition oregon astatine an precocious signifier of licensing, tiny RES installations exempt from permitting procedures, ample hydropower projects, pumped-storage facilities, arsenic good arsenic rooftop star installations.

Particular accent is placed connected photovoltaic plants, arsenic for the archetypal clip horizontal bans are introduced successful Natura 2000 areas, forests and woodland areas, Ramsar wetlands, nationalist parks, protected landscapes, terraced onshore areas, roadless zones, and bathing coastlines.

At the aforesaid time, a wide spatial bounds is introduced: caller star projects that person not yet received biology licensing cannot transcend 1.5% onshore sum per determination unit. This aims to forestall excessive attraction of projects, sphere cultivation land, and guarantee a fairer geographical organisation of investments.

What changes for upwind farms

The model for upwind farms is besides tightened, with the astir important measurement being a caller regularisation banning their installation supra 1,200 meters altitude.

This measurement aims to support high-value upland ecosystems and areas of precocious ocular and ecological sensitivity. In addition, upwind farms are excluded from Attica and the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki, from tiny islands nether 300 sq. km (with constricted public-interest exceptions), from high-tourism areas, protected halfway zones, wetlands, and bathing coastlines.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy, which has launched the program for nationalist consultation, the model seeks to extremity fragmented and often conflicting renewable vigor improvement by introducing a unified, transparent, and stricter nationalist strategy for siting large vigor investments.

The authorities aims to nexus the vigor modulation with sustainable development, biology and taste protection, and improved ineligible certainty, successful a play wherever vigor autonomy is progressively becoming a geopolitical and economical priority.

The announcement of the caller Special Spatial Planning Framework for Renewable Energy Sources (RES)

In today’s geopolitically captious context, vigor information is portion of nationalist security. Therefore, strengthening the country’s vigor autonomy is simply a precedence for the authorities of New Democracy nether Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

At the aforesaid time, the clime situation and the urgent request for a much sustainable vigor model, combined with technological advancement and caller opportunities for harnessing cleanable sources specified arsenic star and upwind and for vigor storage, marque RES a cardinal vigor argumentation tool. Greece is besides gathering its European commitments, with an accrued stock of renewables successful energy generation, enlargement of retention investments and interconnections, and reduced emissions.

Over the past 7 years, Greece has made important progress. Today, much than 50% of energy depletion comes from RES. Greece ranks 3rd globally successful star penetration and 9th successful upwind energy. Electricity accumulation from lignite has been reduced by implicit 90% compared to 2005, portion installed RES capableness has reached 18 GW, compared to 6.3 GW successful 2019. Since 2024, Greece has go a nett exporter of electricity.

This advancement requires rules, planning, and balance. A realistic vigor modulation indispensable beryllium structured, environmentally conscious, and socially fair. For the archetypal time, 3 spatial frameworks are being developed successful parallel: for tourism, industry, and renewable energy.

The purpose is to make a coordinated improvement exemplary that avoids past conflicts, overlaps, and deficiency of planning. The extremity is simply a sustainable, functional, and just Greece that ensures vigor independency portion protecting its situation and promoting determination development.