Article 16c Accelerating the permit-granting procedure for repowering

Where repowering of a renewable energy power plant does not result in an increase of the capacity of a renewable energy power plant beyond 15 %, and without prejudice to any assessment of potential environmental impact required pursuant to paragraph 2, Member States shall ensure that permit granting procedures for connections to the transmission or distribution grid shall not exceed three months following application to the relevant entity unless there are justified safety concerns or there is technical incompatibility of the system components.

Where the repowering of a renewable energy power plant is subject to the screening process provided for in Article 16a(4), to a determination whether the project requires an environmental impact assessment or to an environmental impact assessment pursuant to Article 4 of Directive 2011/92/EU, such a screening process, determination or environmental impact assessment shall be limited to the potential impact arising from a change or extension compared to the original project.

Where the repowering of solar installations does not entail the use of additional space and complies with the applicable environmental mitigation measures established for the original solar installation, the project shall be exempt from any applicable requirements to carry out a screening process as provided for in Article 16a(4), to determine whether the project requires an environmental impact assessment, or to carry out an environmental impact assessment pursuant to Article 4 of Directive 2011/92/EU.