- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2024
Support to Regional Development of Renewable Energy Projects
The European Commission supported the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth and Dutch permitting authorities in reducing barriers to renewable energy project deployment. It delivered guidance for permitting authorities and project initiators, aiming to strengthen local and regional capacity for permitting of new emerging energy technologies across the Netherlands.
Context
The European Green Deal and the Fit-for-55 package set the roadmap for the EU to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the share of renewable energy. The Dutch Climate Agreement and the Climate Act translate these ambitions nationally. Complex and diverse permitting procedures, limited capacity at permitting agencies, and limited experience with new technologies slow the deployment of renewable energy projects.
Support delivered
The project combined stakeholder interviews, desk research, and an e-survey to map permitting barriers and good practices across the Netherlands. Key deliverables include knowledge documents for permitting authorities (hydrogen and energy storage permitting guides) and six guidance notes for project initiators covering assessment frameworks, project detailing, electrolysers and hydrogen storage, lithium-based batteries, onshore wind regulations, and noise. Stakeholder consultation engaged municipalities, provinces, environmental services, safety regions, project developers, and industry associations.
Results achieved
The project identified six interlinked barrier categories hampering permitting, including capacity and knowledge gaps, fragmented regulation, uncertain political signals, lack of public support, unclear divisions of responsibility, and limited financial resources. Good practices were documented, such as pragmatic risk assessment, fast-track parallel processing, and structured pre-consultation. Case studies demonstrated that coordinated collaboration and clear technical choices can reduce project timelines. The guidance materials are expected to strengthen permitting capacity, improve procedural understanding among project initiators, and foster more consistent and predictable permitting decisions, ultimately accelerating renewable energy deployment in line with national and EU climate targets.
More about the project
You can read the documents related to the project here: