Germany mulls compensation fee for environmental impact of renewable energy projects

Germany’s ministries for the economy, the environment and construction have released a draft for translating the EU’s renewable energy directive (RED) into German law to speed up the roll-out of renewable energy infrastructure, energy policy newsletter Tagesspiegel Background reports. The draft details steps to reduce environmental regulation for onshore wind and solar power installations as well as for power storage projects. Instead of analysing the environmental impacts of every single construction project, the government aims to bundle individual projects in regional assessments to reduce bureaucracy and preparation periods. The EU directive stipulates that assessments be made within 45 days and that projects should only be denied approval if they “very likely lead to significant unexpected negative effects.” Operators can obtain a license despite expected negative effects if they offer measures to compensate for these, for example through paying a fee that is then used for environmental protection projects.

Thorsten Müller from environmental law NGO Stiftung Umweltenergierecht said the draft “definitely points in the right direction” but still lacks crucial details over the compensation payments. Contrary to the directive, the national draft reverses the duty of proof and puts the onus on operators to pay up or take other measures if there is insufficient data for assessing environmental impacts. The government aims to finalise national legislation before the end of April to comply with the EU deadline on 21 May, Tagesspiegel Background said. A similar draft for offshore wind and power grids had already been adopted in March.