The European Parliament adopted by 470 votes to 120, with 40 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the promotion of energy from renewable sources, and repealing Council Directive (EU) 2015/652.
Parliament’s position adopted at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure amended the Commission proposal as follows:
Binding overall Union target for 2030
Member States should collectively ensure that the share of energy from renewable sources in the Union’s gross final consumption of energy in 2030 is at least 42.5 %. They should aim to achieve 45%. Member States should set an indicative target for innovative renewable energy technology of at least 5 % of newly installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. Member States should design support schemes for energy from biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels in such a way as to avoid incentivising unsustainable pathways and distorting competition with the material sectors, with a view to ensuring that woody biomass is used according to its highest economic and environmental added value.
Joint projects
By 31 December 2025, each Member State should agree to establish a framework for cooperation on joint projects with one or more other Member States for the production of renewable energy, subject to the following:
- by 31 December 2030, Member States should endeavour to agree on establishing at least two joint projects;
- by 31 December 2033, Member States with an annual electricity consumption of more than 100 TWh shall endeavour to agree on establishing a third joint project.
Coordinated mapping
By 18 months after the date of entry into force of this amending Directive, Member States should carry out a coordinated mapping for the deployment of renewable energy in their territory to identify the domestic potential and the available land surface, sub-surface, sea or inland water areas that are necessary for the installation of renewable energy plants and their related infrastructure, such as grid and storage facilities, including thermal storage, that are required in order to meet at least their national contributions towards the overall Union renewable energy target for 2030.
Renewables acceleration areas
By 27 months after the date of entry into force of this amending Directive, Member States should ensure that competent authorities adopt one or more plans designating renewables acceleration areas for one or more types of renewable energy sources. Member States may exclude biomass combustion and hydropower plants.
In those plans, competent authorities should designate sufficiently homogeneous land, inland water, and sea areas where the deployment of a specific type or specific types of renewable energy sources is not expected to have a significant environmental impact, in view of the particularities of the selected area. Member States should ensure public participation regarding the plans designating renewables acceleration areas.
Member States may adopt one or more plans to designate dedicated infrastructure areas for the development of grid and storage projects that are necessary to integrate renewable energy into the electricity system where such development is not expected to have a significant environmental impact.
Permit-granting procedure in renewables acceleration areas
The permit-granting procedure should not exceed 12 months for renewable energy projects in renewables acceleration areas. However, in the case of offshore renewable energy projects, the permit-granting procedure shall not exceed two years.
The permit-granting procedure for the repowering of renewable energy power plants, for new installations with an electrical capacity of less than 150 kW, for co-located energy storage, including power and thermal facilities, as well as for their grid connection, where located in renewables acceleration areas, should not exceed six months. However, in the case of offshore wind energy projects, the permit-granting procedure shall not exceed 12 months.
Member States should ensure that the permit-granting procedure should not exceed two years for renewable energy projects located outside renewables acceleration areas.
In order to further promote and accelerate the repowering of existing renewable energy power plants, the amended text establishes a simplified permit-granting procedure for grid connections should be established where the repowering results in a limited increase in total capacity compared to the original project.
The duration of the permit procedure must not exceed (i) three months for the installation of solar energy and co-located energy storage equipment, including building-integrated solar installations, in existing or future man-made structures, excluding artificial water bodies; (ii) one month for the installation of solar energy equipment with a capacity of 100 kW or less, including for self-consumers of renewable energy and renewable energy communities; (iii) one month for the installation of heat pumps of less than 50 MW.
Mainstreaming renewable energy in industry
Member States should endeavour to increase the share of renewable sources in the amount of energy sources used for final energy and non-energy purposes in the industry sector by an indicative increase of at least 1.6 percentage points as an annual average calculated for the periods 2021 to 2025 and 2026 to 2030.
Member States should ensure that the contribution of renewable fuels of non-biological origin used for final energy and non-energy purposes shall be at least 42 % of the hydrogen used for final energy and non-energy purposes in industry by 2030, and 60 % by 2035.
Heating and cooling
Each Member State should increase the share of renewable energy in this sector by at least 0.8 percentage points calculated as an annual average for the period 2021-2025 and by at least 1.1 percentage points calculated as an annual average for the period 2026-2030. Member States should aim to increase the share of energy from renewable sources and from waste heat and cooling in heat and cooling networks by an indicative amount of 2.2 percentage points as an annual average over the period 2021-2030.
Transport sector
Each Member State should set an obligation on fuel suppliers to ensure that the amount of renewable fuels and renewable electricity supplied to the transport sector leads to a: (i) share of renewable energy within the final consumption of energy in the transport sector of at least 29 % by 2030; or (ii) greenhouse gas intensity reduction of at least 14.5 % by 2030.
To achieve this, the legislation on the one hand requires an increase in the share of advanced biofuels in the sector's consumption and, on the other, sets more ambitious quotas for renewable fuels of non-biological origin, such as hydrogen.
Use of biomass
Members called for stricter criteria on the use of biomass to ensure that the EU does not subsidise unsustainable practices. Biomass harvesting should be done in a way that prevents negative impacts on soil quality and biodiversity.