The new environmental law, Nr 4685/2020 brings simplification and significant acceleration of the environmental licensing procedure of Renewable Energy Sources projects.

With particular regard to the Phase A of the licensing process of projects (wind power plants, photovoltaic power stations, hydroelectric power plants etc), the new law abolishes the Generation License and replaces it by the Generation Certificate, with a 25-year validity duration and the possibility of renewal. The Generation Certificate will be issued by an Electronic Register of Electric Energy Generation from RES, kept by the Licensing Body (the Regulatory Authority for Energy).

Interested parties will have to apply electronically for Generation Certificate, during specific application periods (February, June, October), and, within short deadlines, applications will be published in the Electronic Register, any objections raised will be considered and, if the application meets the requirements, the Generation Certificate will be granted within (20) days.

Pending applications for Generation Licenses, submitted after the application period of September 2018 and beyond, will be considered in accordance with the new procedure introduced by Law 4685/2020.

A new Renewable Energy Sources’ Generation Certificates Regulation is to be issued within (3) months after the entry into force of the new environmental law.

Our Law firm will keep monitoring the dynamic development of the Renewable Energy Sources in Greece closely and will keep you up to date regarding the developments and your obligations concerning the evolution of your projects.