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The Portuguese Government has submitted for public consultation the legislation introducing changes to the National Electricity System (“SEN”) approved by Decree-Law No. 15/2022. that partially transposes Directive (EU) 2023/2413, of 18 October 2023 (Red III Directive).
Please find below the main topics of the new draft legislation:
- The creation of Renewable Energy Deployment Acceleration Zones (“ZAER”), aimed at simplifying and accelerating the licensing of renewable energy projects;The ZAER will be defined by the Task Force for the Licensing of Renewable Energy Projects 2030 (“EMER 30”) and the General Direction for Energy and Geology (“DGEG”), subject to public consultation and environmental assessment, excluding areas that are sensitive from an environmental, cultural, and heritage standpoint and providing for measures to mitigate possible impacts;
- The setting of maximum deadlines for licensing decisions: one year for projects in general and six months for those located in ZAERs. In the case of offshore projects, the deadlines are three and two years, respectively;
- The DGEG will now be the sole point of contact for licensing applications, with 45 days (or 30 days in ZAER) to confirm receipt and completeness of applications;
- Exemption from environmental impact assessment for certain projects located in ZAER, including power generation centers, re-equipment, storage facilities, and respective connections to the grid;
- Requirement for developers to submit a plan of measures to facilitate public acceptance as a condition of licensing;
- The preparation by EMER 30 of a National Plan for the Promotion of Knowledge and Public Acceptance of Renewable Energy, aimed at involving local communities and raising public awareness through the creation of regular channels of communication with citizens.
Finally, the project clarifies that the new rules only apply to licensing procedures initiated after the law comes into force.
All stakeholders can participate in this public consultation on the ConsultaLex platform until October 23, 2025.
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