Stricter RES spatial plan rules being prepared for renewable energy project installations include a number of zoning prohibitions and new restrictions.

The new rules, included in a study that has been drafted by environmental authorities and forwarded to the energy ministry for evaluation, feature a more stringent approach concerning the installation of solar energy facilities, while the number of wind priority areas, acronymed PAP, have been increased to a total of 68, nationwide.

Of these, 32 percent are situated in Crete, which has been incorporated into the country’s RES spatial plan for the first time.

A total of 68 municipalities are included in the RES spatial plan as wind priority areas, 22 of these in Crete. The island’s Heraklion prefecture tops the Cretan list with 15 PAP areas, followed by Chania, with three, and Rethymno and Lasithi, listed with two apiece.

Greece’s Macedonia region in the country’s north ranks second with 16 municipalities on the PAP list, followed by Evia (12), mainland Greece (7), eastern Macedonia and Thrace (7), the Peloponnese (2) and Epirus (2).

Zoning prohibitions have been imposed on a total of 13 areas, including nine mountain ranges without roads, these being Lefka Ori in western Crete; Mount Saos on Samothrace; Mount Smolikas in Ioannina; Grevena, northern Greece; Mount Tymfi in northwestern Greece; Mount Taygetus, in the southern Peloponnese; Mount Chatzi, part of the Pindus mountain range in northwestern Greece; Agrafa in mainland Greece; and Mainalo in the central Peloponnese.

The plan also includes zoning prohibitions for wind farm installations at areas of particular natural beauty, Natura 2000 network habitats, Ramsar Convention wetlands, and areas associated with tourism development.