RES spatial planning

RES spatial plan facing delays as more revisions requested

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Latest revisions requested by the General Secretariat for Spatial Planning from planners of the country’s Special Land Use Plan for RES facilities will further delay the completion of the plan, now essentially lacking any realistic schedule, energypress sources have informed.

Though planners had completed their work on the plan, they must now work on the latest revisions requested.

A few months ago, authorities had announced the RES spatial plan would undergo consultation around early May, but, given the latest demands, this no longer seems possible.

The latest changes requested by the General Secretariat for Spatial Planning include the designation of “RES acceleration areas”, in accordance with a recent EU directive that has yet to be incorporated into national law, the sources noted.

Such a procedure will require considerable time as designating special RES areas not only requires new legislation but also a series of other actions such as consultation with local authorities and issuance of presidential decrees.

New RES spatial plan to include stricter installation rules

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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.

 

More areas deemed suitable for offshore wind farms

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The number of offshore areas deemed suitable for wind energy installations appear set to be increased to facilitate sector investments, according to upcoming revisions to the country’s spatial plan for renewables.

A revised spatial plan for renewables and a related ministerial decision, both drafted by specialized consultants, have been forwarded to the energy ministry for approval ahead of consultation, energypress sources have informed.

Though a specific schedule for the revised spatial plan on renewables has not been set, officials are aiming for a ministerial decision by the end of the year, sources informed.

In general, criteria that characterize the existing spatial plan and take into account factors such as wind potential, tourism development and environmental matters for location suitability are expected to be maintained.

As for offshore wind farm regulations, the new spatial plan will forbid installations in certain areas such as official marine parks, areas with maritime antiquities or protected shipwrecks, aquaculture development areas, enclosed bays and passenger shipping lines.

Also, offshore wind farm installations –  still a nascent sector in Greece – will need to comply with distance rules, including a minimum of one nautical mile (1852 m) from the coastline or enclosed bays.

The revised spatial plan for renewables will also be submitted to the Council of State, Greece’s supreme administrative court, for a formal review to ensure no legal gaps may undermine its implementation. This high-level inspection comes as a result of legal issues that have affected the existing spatial plan.

 

New RES spatial framework identifying wind energy areas

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An energy ministry committee working on Greece’s updated spatial framework for RES facilities, an effort now into its second stage, has been tasked with accurately identifying the country’s Wind Priority Areas (PAP) and Wind Suitability Areas (PAK).

The committee plans to identify these areas in collaboration with the Center for Renewable Energy Sources (KAPE/CRES) and RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, the aim being to redefine exploitable wind energy potential in PAP and PAK areas, a decisive factor for the design of wind energy installations.

The energy ministry intends to consider the inclusion of areas for which strong investment interest concerning RES installations has been expressed.

The current RES spatial framework’s ground coverage limits for PAP and PAK areas, standing at 8 and 5 percent per municipality, respectively, will be adjusted to ensure RES installation capacities in PAP areas are greater than those in corresponding PAK areas.

As for the solar energy sub-sector, revisions to be considered by the committee include reducing the maximum soil coverage of PVs on farmland to 3 percent per region.

Furthermore, the revised framework’s new regulations for offshore wind farms will need to be adjusted to accurately reflect those of the National Offshore Wind Farm Development Program. This initiative will be conducted in cooperation with EDEYEP, the Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company.

Delivery of the updated RES spatial framework has been given a deadline extension until the end of March, 2024, based on a recent energy ministry decision.

New RES spatial framework postponed again, until March, 2024

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A long-awaited, and controversial, revised spatial framework for the RES sector has been postponed until March 27, 2024, following a recent energy ministry decision that has just been announced.

The delay is mainly due to events that could not have been foreseen and avoided, according to the ministry, which spared the company commissioned with the task of any responsibility.

The new spatial framework for the RES sector, an update of a plan from 2008, is being prepared over a five-stage process, beginning with an analysis and assessment of the current setting. This first stage has been completed and the procedure is now at its second stage, which, along with the ensuing three stages, includes the update’s proposals and details.

This latest delay to the plan comes following a previous postponement last May, when the energy ministry had set April 13, 2023 as the delivery date for the revised spatial framework.

The new spatial framework for the RES sector will detail areas given the green light to host RES unit installations, along with conditions and requirements, as well as prohibited areas.

RES spatial plan revision to be passed on to next government

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The country’s revised RES spatial plan, a tricky task requiring authorities to strike the right balance between the conflicting concerns of environmental groups and investors, will be delayed until after Greece’s forthcoming general elections, scheduled for May 21, as the issue could develop into a damaging debate for rival political parties.

Though a new RES spatial plan, to replace a version from 2008, has almost been completed by authorities and scheduled for delivery to the energy ministry by late April, it now appears certain that the next government will need to take on the task of forging a plan that satisfies as many conflicting interests as possible.

The revised spatial plan nearing completion addresses rules concerning so-called “wind priority” and “wind suitability” areas that may host RES projects, and also takes into account Natura restrictions for environmental protection.

It also factors in the increased size of turbines since the country’s RES spatial plan from 2008, meaning issues such as distance between such facilities and their impact on the environment have been reexamined. Size restrictions concerning wind energy facility installations at certain areas have been taken into account.

Wind energy installations at mountain areas is another matter of concern. At present, eight mountain ranges in various parts of Greece are included in the country’s RES spatial plan.

In addition, the revised RES spatial plan’s details aim to keep the strategy compatible with National Energy and Climate Plan targets.

 

New rules to ban wind turbines at tall mountains, small islands

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The installation of wind energy facilities at tall mountains and small islands is expected to be banned by new government regulations to be included in the country’s new spatial planning framework for the RES sector.

Work on the revised spatial planning framework, to regard tall mountains and small islands as special cases, is still at an early stage and is not expected for another year, at best.

Specifications defining what constitutes a tall mountain or small island have yet to clarified at this early stage of the plan.

Last summer, during the country’s wildfires, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had noted wind turbines would be banned from tall mountains and small islands. These thoughts were reiterated at energypress’s recent Renewable & Storage Forum by former environment ministry deputy Dimitris Economou.

The government wants to establish the new RES spatial framework as soon as possible to provide clear-cut rules limiting the reaction of local communities to RES installations in various parts of the country.

 

Municipal solar parks to help low-income household energy needs

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Municipalities and prefectures will be offered 100 million euros in subsidies, through the recovery fund, for the development of solar energy farms whose resulting earnings will be used exclusively to cover the energy needs of approximately 30,000 low-income household around the country, energy minister Kostas Skrekas has announced in an interview with Greek daily Kathimerini.

These solar parks will offer a total capacity of 120 MW, the minister noted.

The minister also noted, in the interview, that a further 40 million euros from the recovery fund will be used to subsidize the replacement of 2,000 conventional taxis with electric-powered models.

Taxi owners will be entitled to 22,500 euros in subsidies for each vehicle replaced, the minister said, while adding that a variety of criteria, including car age, will be taken into account.

Support is also planned for energy communities, according to the minister.

“Energy communities are important when they serve their purpose and not merely promote capital-intensive investment. That is why we will support energy communities that will benefit those in need,” Skrekas explained.

Responding to a question regarding widespread resistance of local communities against wind energy installations and criticism faced by the ministry for being too cooperative with investor plans in this domain, the minister remarked: “We don’t license everything. Investor proposals currently exceed 100 GW, but we, through the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), estimate that, realistically, approximately 10 GW will be installed – in other words, one in ten.”

Revisions to a revised, and stricter, RES spatial plan will be completed by the end of the year, the minister told.

RES spatial plan to be delivered within 2021, Action Plan notes

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The completion of a RES sector spatial plan within the current year has been included in an energy ministry Action Plan for 2021, just published along with the respective action plans of all other ministries.

The energy ministry’s action plan lists interventions planned for 2021 in nine areas under its authority, including energy-sector privatizations, energy market reforms, support for decarbonization and recycling, adoption of circular economic principles, greenhouse gas emission reduction, the tackling of climate change effects, as well as green energy transition.

RES sector measures this year will help cut down the time needed by new RES projects for licensing procedures to two years, the ministry anticipates in its action plan.

It also expects the installation, by the end of the year, of at least 2,000 recharging units for electric vehicles in public areas, including along highways, and at private properties, including domestic and commercial.

On the privatization front, the energy ministry expects all seven energy privatization plans to have been completed or reached an advanced stage by the end of the year.

On energy market reforms, the adoption of a remuneration mechanism for grid sufficiency, to replace a transitional mechanism remunerating flexibility, is a standout feature.

The energy ministry also intends to adopt, as Greek law, an EU directive promoting energy storage and demand response systems.

The ministry’s action plan also anticipates the signing of agreements this year for distribution network development and RES penetration support. It also expects DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator, to announce a tender for the installation of smart power meters within the current year.

Taking into account plans by DEDDIE/HEDNO and power grid operator IPTO, the ministry expects investments in distribution and transmission networks to reach one billion euros this year.

Investments for gas network upgrades and expansion are expected to reach at least 300 million euros, primarily driven by projects planned by gas distributor DEDA, covering all areas around the country except for the wider Athens, Thessaloniki and Thessaly areas.

On international projects, the action plan notes that a Greek-Bulgarian gas pipeline project, the IGB, promising to significantly diversify Greece’s gas sources, will be completed by the end of 2021.

A latest edition of the Saving at Home program subsidizing energy efficiency upgrades of properties, budgeted at one billion euros, will stimulate work on 80,000 buildings in 2021, according the energy ministry’s action plan.

This activity will contribute to a National Energy and Climate Plan objective for an improvement, by 2030, of energy efficiency at buildings by 38 percent, reducing energy consumption to levels below those registered in 2007, the action plan notes.

 

Over 30% of RES project bids show territorial overlap issues

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Nearly one in three RES project plans submitted to December’s licensing round are problematic as they display territorial overlaps concerning envisaged project sites, energypress sources have informed.

More than 30 percent of 1,864 producer certification applications submitted to the December round claim overlapping territory for RES project development, especially in the solar energy sector.

This latest concern comes as yet another sign of an overheated market and this condition’s possible repercussions.

The territorial overlap problem makes clear that a significant number of project plan licensing applications were lodged in a haphazard fashion without any organized registration work for land claims, placing in doubt the feasibility of these project plans.

Licensing application numbers were also sizeable for an ensuing round last month. A total of 477 applications representing 8.8 GW were submitted, increasing the likelihood of the implementation of filters, currently being examined by the energy ministry, to block baseless applications from licensing procedures.