DSOs call to accelerate EU grid permitting provisions
The wind farm is located in the Dutch province of Groningen. Image courtesy Eneco.
The DSO Entity has issued guidance on the latest EU permitting provisions for grid and renewable energy projects.
As has been widely highlighted by organisations and media, permitting for grid and renewable energy projects has become a key issue, particularly at the distribution level where approaching three-quarters of new renewable capacity is to be connected by 2030.
Currently in Europe, grid infrastructure permits that may be necessary for expansion or reinforcement for new renewables, can take up to 8 to 10 years for the MV and HV networks.
Indeed the lack of grid access is proving a major bottleneck, with more than 500GW of potential wind capacity waiting for an assessment of a grid connection application, WindEurope has highlighted in a new commentary.
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To accelerate and simplify permitting in 2022 the EU set new provisions but the DSO Entity reports that a year on in 2023, in a consultation its members reported a lack of implementation and at times lack of awareness of these provisions at national levels and that most DSOs had not yet felt any direct practical impact.
Key issues in the revised regulations include the principle of ‘overriding public interest’, whether or not there is significant environmental impact, the need for ‘dedicated infrastructure areas’ and mapping to identify the available land surface to meet national targets.
In all of these there is a role for DSOs, the DSO Entity points out.
It notes also that while projects selected as ‘projects of common interest’ (PCI) can access accelerated permitting among other benefits, with few smart grid projects (just five) ending up on the PCI list few DSOs actually benefit.
Recommendations for permitting
The DSO Entity has set out recommendations of which one is to accelerate the implementation of the EU permitting provisions into member states’ laws, especially those related to the overriding public interest principle and the renewables acceleration areas for grid projects.
Closer scrutiny of the implementation of these provisions should be ensured to follow and provide accessible information about the progress achieved, e.g. through a score board.
Another recommendation is for cooperative planning in renewable projects with the early inclusion of DSOs as key for the planning of grid infrastructure expansion or upgrading and anticipating technically feasible connection points.
Other recommendations are the need to look beyond TEN-E and the PCIs to support DSO projects when it comes to permitting and the need to simplify and streamline the complex and protracted infrastructure permit granting procedures.
A grid mainstreaming approach is also needed in permitting-related provisions to always consider the needs of grids in relevant legislation. For example, the recognition of physical energy infrastructure as net zero strategic projects in the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act would enable DSO projects to benefit similar to PCIs.
Eventually, more contact between DSOs and local authorities should also be further encouraged to raise awareness about the specific challenges encountered at the distribution level and share experiences and best practices to improve current procedures.
