Following the war in Ukraine and the resulting increase in energy prices, Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 establishing a framework for the accelerated deployment of renewable energy installations was adopted and entered into force on 22 December 2022 in order to support renewable energy with immediate and temporary measures.
The provisions of the temporary regulation set maximum time limits for the granting of building permits for solar energy systems and the use of heat pumps, which are issued by municipalities.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, together with the Ministry of Energy and Spatial Planning, informed the municipalities of the adoption and details of Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 through circulars no. 4217 and no. 4223. In addition, the Ministry of Energy and Spatial Planning and the Ministry of Home Affairs, together with Syvicol and the "Klima-Agence", organised an information session for municipalities on 16 January 2023.
Solar energy equipment
The regulation stipulates that the time limit for issuing a building permit for the installation of solar energy systems and co-located energy storage systems must not exceed 3 months. For installations with a capacity of up to 50 kW - i.e. almost all photovoltaic installations in private houses - the regulation provides for tacit approval if the mayor does not reply after a period of one month.
The shorter deadlines do not apply for reasons relating to the protection of cultural or historical heritage, national defence or protected areas.
Heat pumps
Similarly, the time limit for issuing building permits for the installation of ground source heat pumps should not exceed 3 months.
The time limit for granting a permit for the installation of any other heat pump should not exceed 1 month.
In the case of photovoltaic installations, the shorter deadlines do not apply for reasons relating to the protection of cultural or historical heritage, national defence or protected areas.
Publication of decisions on the granting of authorisations for the installations concerned
All decisions resulting from the above-mentioned authorisation procedures must be published by the municipalities, which means that negative decisions must now also be made public. The modalities for the publication of negative decisions are not laid down in the Regulation and will be determined by the municipality.
Press release by the Ministry of Energy and Spatial Planning