Construction of photovoltaic and wind power plants got the green light. Their authorization should be expedited
Photovoltaic and wind power plants in our country will now be approved in a simplified, faster regime. This will strengthen our energy self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on the import of fossil fuels. The Czech government, which decided on this step in March, will gradually begin negotiations with the regions. Zones where power plants will be established, will be primarily reserved for former industrial areas.
"We are in a situation where we import most of the energy into the Czech Republic, in the form of oil and natural gas. Our aim is to increase the degree of self-sufficiency of energy produced on our territory,"
said recently the Minister of Environment Petr Hladík ČTK.
Therefore, the state plans in the future to significantly increase the share of renewable energy sources. While it is currently around 19 percent, according to the National Energy and Climate Plan approved last year, it should increase to at least 30 percent by 2030.
Bureaucracy still prevails
The effort to replace traditional energy sources with eco-friendly ones is facing approval limits. For instance, obtaining all permits for the construction of a wind farm so far often took 10 to 15 years. Complicated and lengthy administrative procedures of building permits have been leading to investors not rushing into the construction of new power plants from renewable sources.
The fact that not much has moved yet is evidenced by the statement of a representative of the ČEZ company.
"At the present time, there is a lack of a clear position on which locations the general interest in the development of clean energy outweighs the protection of the landscape character. Defining acceleration zones in land-use planning documentation and setting up accelerated permission for power plants in legislation is essential for speeding up the approval process,"
spokeswoman Barbora Peterova told LP Life.
Wind power plants, together with photovoltaics, are the cheapest renewable source of electrical energy. One turn of a wind turbine blade produces as much energy as the average Czech household consumes in an entire day, according to an analysis by the Alliance for Energy Self-Sufficiency.
The aforementioned association predicts that the installed capacity of Czech wind power plants could increase by 2,000 megawatts within five years. For illustration: the amount of clean wind energy would annually replace fossil electricity equivalent to the burning of 4 million tons of brown coal.
Acceleration zones
The March proposal of the Czech government, which gives a green light to photovoltaic and wind power plants, expects so-called acceleration zones from the simplified regime of their approval, where renewable sources will be approved. The preparation and approval of construction in them is supposed to last up to 12 months.
The whole process will be exempt from environmental impact assessment (EIA). It will then only concern the power sources themselves and the associated infrastructure, such as transformers, power lines, or batteries.
Energy suppliers who are advocates of renewable sources have long been calling for the establishment of acceleration zones. According to them, our country is falling behind in the construction of large solar parks, which should become an important part of the energy sector in the future.
The definition of acceleration zones will be determined on three levels. Specifically, it will concern the spatial plans of municipalities, further in the principles of regional development and at the national level by the spatial development plan. Areas for renewable sources will need to be established at least 500 meters from the built-up area. It should be clear where they will stand by next year.
"Thanks to acceleration zones, the main problems with permitting will be solved even before companies and municipalities agree on the location of wind or photovoltaic power plants in a specific place,"
Stated for ČTK Hladík.
Overall, approximately 500 billion crowns will need to be invested in the modernization of energy by 2030. In addition to power plants from renewable sources, it is envisaged that the money will also be used to strengthen nuclear energy. Within five years, its share in electricity production could be around 40 percent. The main source of transformation support will be the Modernization Fund, which is financed from the proceeds of emission trading.
Photovoltaic and wind power plants may indeed cause controversy among some fellow citizens, but as experiences from abroad demonstrate, their construction and operation definitely pay off.
Sources: own questioning, ČTK, Alliance for Energy Self-Sufficiency
