(Montel) Slow permits, red tape threaten French green goals – experts

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A surge in the number of French renewable projects rejected by regional officials and the slow pace of approvals cast doubt on the country’s ability to meet its climate targets, said sector experts.

The number of permits rejected by regional state officials for onshore wind projects has doubled to 1,000 MW since 2019, according to France Renouvelables – the lobby formerly known as France Energie Eolienne (FEE).

In total, authorised renewable capacity in France fell to 1,300 MW in 2022 from 2,000 MW in 2019, the lobby figures showed.

And the onshore wind sector experienced “a salvo of permit rejections” in July and August, Gauthier de Potter, managing director of TTR Energy, a project developer, told Montel.

Missing targets?

“We undoubtedly have a signal to send to unblock authorisations and do it with fluidity,” said France Renouvelables official Fabrice Cassin.

France, which is targeting a 55% cut in its carbon emission by 2030 from 1990 levels, in line with European objectives, needs to cover at least 42.5% of its energy consumption with renewable energy.

This means, at the very least, quadrupling the rate of solar panel installation, maintaining the pace of onshore wind installation, and launching calls for tenders to develop offshore wind power as quickly as possible.

It was “very difficult to say at this stage” whether or not France would meet its climate targets, due to “numerous regulatory barriers”, Klervi Kerneis, a specialist in European energy policy at the Institut Jacques Delors, told Montel.

“In the first half of 2023, there was 13.6 GW of wind power and 18.5 GW of solar power awaiting review,” she said.

“There is therefore enormous potential power, but real shortcomings to ensure their deployment.”

“Political issue”

In September 2022, the government asked state officials in each region to speed up the processing of applications, in particular by ensuring that reviews should not exceed 24 months.

The move prompted some public administrations to refuse permits to meet the new deadlines, Jean-Yves Grandidier, president of project developer Valorem, told Montel.

Indeed, French energy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher reportedly acknowledged the rise in rejections at a recent lobby meeting, saying she had asked officials to speed up decisions.

Installing wind power was a “political issue” that divided public opinions, according to Michel Gioria, head of France Renouvelables.

“The more sensitive the subject, the more attention the prefects pay to it,” he said.

There was a lack of resources in administrations and procedures were still very sequenced, “which takes more time”, William Arkwright, vice-president of France’s SER renewable lobby, told Montel. Appeals against projects had become “a national sport”, he added.

On average, it takes seven to eight years to develop onshore wind projects in France and 18 months to four years for solar power projects, said SER spokespeople.