Prohibition of photovoltaic installations, among others, in forests, woodland areas and NATURA 2000 sites, as well as restrictions for the development of wind farms in Attica, Thessaloniki and areas with altitude above 1,200 meters, are provided by the new Special Spatial Planning Framework for Renewable Energy Sources that was put to public consultation today by the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
As the Ministry of Environment and Energy emphasizes, for the first time three Special Spatial Planning Frameworks are being promoted simultaneously, concerning tourism, industry and renewable energy sources, with the aim of coordinating them so as to avoid conflicts and operate complementarily at a strategic level.
According to the ministry, this specific coordinated spatial planning constitutes a holistic development model that is being applied for the first time in the country, with the aim of limiting land use conflicts, lack of planning and uncertainty that characterized previous periods.
The spatial planning for renewable energy sources provides, among others, the following:
A. For photovoltaic stations
They are no longer allowed, horizontally:
- In all protected areas of the NATURA 2000 network
- In forests and woodland areas
- In Ramsar wetlands and small island wetlands
- In national forests, declared nature monuments and aesthetic forests
- In areas that have been characterized as Landscapes of Particular Natural Beauty
- In declared preserved monuments of world cultural heritage and other monuments of major importance, as well as demarcated archaeological protection zones A
- In areas with protected and/or abandoned terraces
- In roadless areas determined by MEEN decisions
- On swimming beaches
New criteria and placement rules are set, and specifically:
- The maximum permitted percentage of land coverage by new photovoltaic stations (that have not been environmentally licensed) cannot exceed 1.5% per Regional Unit.
- The maintenance of minimum distances for the placement of photovoltaic stations (e.g. from residential activities) and specific percentages of visual horizon coverage are provided.
- The preparation of a special viewing study is provided in case of PV installation within a zone of 1,500 m from sites inscribed in the World Heritage List and other monuments of major importance, archaeological sites and historic places, as well as within a zone of 1,000 m from the zone of absolute protection (Zone A) of other archaeological sites, declared cultural monuments, historic places and traditional settlements.
B. For wind stations
They are no longer allowed, horizontally:
- In Attica and the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki
- Within areas with altitude greater than 1,200 m
- In Ramsar wetlands and small island wetlands
- In areas that have been characterized as Landscapes of Particular Natural Beauty, as well as in the cores of national forests
- Within the absolute nature protection zones and nature protection zones of Law 1650/1986
- On islands with area smaller than 300 sq.km., unless they concern covering public interest needs of each island (e.g. desalination plants)
- In areas with high tourist development, as defined in the new Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism
- In out-of-plan areas where tourism-recreation uses are planned
- In parts of quarry areas and mining and extractive zones that operate on the surface
- In roadless areas determined by MEEN decisions
- On swimming beaches.
Specifically, within Special Protection Areas (SPAs), i.e. bird protection areas that are part of the NATURA 2000 network, wind stations are allowed only by exception, in case both prerequisites are met simultaneously:
- explicitly provided in the approved Special Environmental Study and
- the wind potential is greater than 7.5m/s (according to the wind map on the RAE website).
They are allowed only in “Suitability Areas”, i.e. in Municipal Units with wind potential greater than 4 m/s (according to the wind map on the RAE website) – and only under the condition that none of the above (more specific) restrictions apply, such as altitude above 1,200 meters, Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Landscapes of Particular Natural Beauty, Ramsar wetlands etc., as well as taking into account the remaining area of the Municipal Unit, according to RAE data.
In island areas the maximum permitted percentage of land coverage (carrying capacity) by wind stations cannot exceed 4% of the area per Municipal Unit.
It is noted that the new Spatial Planning framework does not cover:
- projects that are already in operation,
- those that have completed their environmental licensing or have received approval of formal completeness of their file by the date of putting the new SPF to public consultation,
- Exempted renewable energy stations (stations which are exempted from Producer Certification/Installation & Operation License), except photovoltaic stations (e.g. Biomass/biogas <1MW, geothermal stations <1MW, small wind turbines <60kW, batteries <1MW),
- pumped storage stations and large hydroelectric stations >15MW,
- photovoltaic stations installed on building rooftops.
The consultation will last until June 24, 2026.
