Speeding Up Green Energy Projects

What the problem is that is being addressed

• Energy projects (wind, solar, storage, charging stations, grid upgrades) in the EU take too long to get permits.
• In many Member States, permitting can take 5–10 years for grids, up to 9 years for renewables, 1–7 years for storage, and up to 2 years for charging‑station construction.
• Causes: fragmented rules, many authorities, long environmental assessments (average 20.6 months), lack of staff, poor digital tools, public opposition, and unclear deadlines.
• The delay stops the EU from meeting its 2030 renewable‑energy target, 2050 climate‑neutrality goal and keeps electricity prices high.

How that problem is being solved here

• The Commission proposes a Directive that amends three existing EU rules (2018/2001, 2019/944, 2024/1788).
• Key measures:

• Shorter deadlines – e.g. 1 month for small solar and charging‑station permits, 3 months for larger projects, 6 months for storage >100 kW, 2 years for pumped‑hydro.
• Digital portal – every Member State must set up one online portal that accepts all permit documents, tracks progress, and gives public access to status and data.
• Tacit approval – if an authority does not act within the deadline, the permit is automatically approved (except for environmental decisions).
• Exemptions – small solar (<100 kW), small storage (<100 kW), and small charging stations (<100 kW) no longer need environmental assessments.
• Public participation – a facilitator must be funded to help developers and local communities share benefits and resolve concerns.
• Alignment of rules – the new rules bring grid, storage and charging‑station permitting in line with the rules for gas, hydrogen and renewables, creating a single EU framework.
• Monitoring – Member States must report on implementation; the Commission will assess compliance.

What changes as a result of this document

• Faster permits – the average time for a grid or renewable permit is cut by up to 50 % in many cases.
• Digitalisation – all permitting steps will be handled online, reducing paperwork and improving transparency.
• Simplified environmental checks – many small projects will skip lengthy assessments, speeding up approvals.
• Clearer deadlines – Member States must publish and enforce fixed time limits for each permit stage.
• Public benefit sharing – developers of projects >10 MW must share benefits with local communities, and a facilitator will help manage this.
• EU‑wide consistency – the same rules will apply to grids, storage, charging stations and renewables, eliminating national differences.
• Implementation timeline – Member States must transpose the Directive by 2026 and report progress to the Commission.
• No extra EU budget cost – the proposal does not add to the EU budget; Member States will bear the costs of setting up portals and staff.