IENE took part in the Public Consultation of the Ministry of Environment and Energy concerning the legal framework for the licensing of offshore wind farms in Greece. IENE took part in the Public Consultation of the Ministry of Environment and Energy concerning the legal framework for the licensing of offshore wind farms in Greece. The draft law entitled as "Provisions for the simplification of environmental licensing, environmental inspections and environmental protection, urgent forestry, spatial planning and urban planning provisions, establishing a framework for the development of Offshore Wind Farms, dealing with the energy crisis and issues of circular economy" covers all relevant issues with regard to the licensing and operation of Offshore Wind Farms.
IENE submitted today (13/7) a series of comments and proposals concerning specific articles of the above draft law. IENE's approach to Offshore Wind Farms is absolutely positive as it was publicly expressed about 18 months ago (1/2/2021) in the public consultation of the Hellenic Wind Energy Association (ELETAEN) on the New Institutional Framework for Offshore Wind Energy under discussion at the time. Given its unwavering support for the speedy implementation of Offshore Wind Farms in Greece, the IENE first of all welcomes the decision of the Ministry of Environment and Energy to put the bill in question to public consultation.
IENE's firm position on the development of Offshore Wind Farms in Greece is the need for prior studies and measurements before proceeding with the detailed demarcation of the zones within which the construction and operation of offshore wind farms will be allowed. But the current bill is too bureaucratic by invoking dozens of unrelated articles on matters that have nothing to do with offshore wind farms, so this is not exclusively about offshore wind farms (as it should be) at the risk of losing its essence. Nevertheless, IENE decided to participate in the public consultation as the Institute wanted to express its support for the legal process involved and the steps to be taken in order to help speed up the whole licensing process.
