Tue 12-09-2023 18:58 PM
BRUSSELS, 12th September, 2023 (WAM) – European Parliament on Tuesday voted to boost the deployment of renewable energy, in line with the Green Deal and REPowerEU plans.
The update of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), already agreed upon between MEPs and Council, raises the share of renewables in the EU’s final energy consumption to 42.5% by 2030. Member states should strive to achieve 45%.
The legislation will also speed up procedures to grant permits for new renewable energy power plants, such as solar panels or wind turbines, or to adapt existing ones. National authorities should take no longer than 12 months to approve new renewable energy installations, if located in so-called “renewables go-to areas”. Outside such areas, the process should not exceed 24 months.
In the transport sector, renewables deployment should lead to a 14.5% reduction by 2030 in greenhouse gas emissions, by using a greater share of advanced biofuels and a more ambitious quota for renewable fuels of non-biological origin, such as hydrogen.
MEPs also secured that member states set an indicative target for innovative renewable energy technology of at least 5% of newly installed renewable energy capacity, as well as a binding framework for cross-border energy projects. They pushed 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.
The legislation was adopted with 470 votes to 120, with 40 abstentions. It will now have to be formally endorsed by Council in order to come into law.
Tariq Al Fahaam