To meet the REPower EU goals, Member States need to install an additional 600GW of solar capacities by 2030 and more than double wind capacity to at least 480GW. The roll out of RE implies the need for more space than fossil fuel capacities. Therefore, the designation of acceleration areas in a sustainable way should be high on the public agenda in the years to come.

However, a series of barriers and risks might challenge the sustainable acceleration of RE deployment in the 3 consortium countries, respectively:

1. Limited administrative capacity of public institutions in developing national strategic documents;
2. Superficial public consultation processes of national strategic documents;
3. Lack of previously strategic spatial planning for solar and wind energy;
4. Rising tensions between key stakeholders on RE spatial deployment with impact on RE investment risks;
5. High share of biodiversity in total land (above the EU average).

The context reflects a window of opportunity to contribute to the planning of accelerating RE development strategically in all 3 CEE countries. Thus, the project proposes an integrated spatial planning process to be carried out through a multi-actor and multi-sector engagement, taking into account best practices from other countries, developing a cross-country methodology and training public institutions staff, in order to achieve fast acceleration of RE, with minimised impacts on biodiversity and with the support of the main stakeholders.

The project partners aim to ensure that sustainable and science-based approaches for the designation of acceleration areas are followed in the three CEE countries. They capitalise on experience and technical expertise in renewable energy spatial planning from other countries and raise people’s awareness of the benefits of renewable energy use. To this end, they increase/raise the capacities of public authorities and other stakeholders’(industry’s associations, civil society, academia) for integrated spatial planning and develop methodologies for the sustainable siting of wind and solar acceleration areas.

They provide methodologies that take into account the main economic, social and environmental constraints. These include in particular a lack of trust between stakeholders, of a cross-sectoral understanding of the challenges and of sound governance approaches. Project beneficiaries get deliverables that will act as tools  to help them avoid and mitigate conflicts regarding the designation of acceleration areas, ultimately leading to faster siting and permitting of solar and wind farms in Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.

Alina Arsani

Mihai
Constantin

Caterina Oproiu