Renewable Energy for Nature and People

The document outlines a framework for EU Member States to accelerate renewable energy deployment through Renewables Acceleration Areas (RAAs) without compromising biodiversity or public participation. It emphasizes that RAAs must be designated in areas with no expected significant environmental impact, requiring robust Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and Appropriate Assessments (AAs). The guide argues that the presumption of 'overriding public interest' for renewable projects is rebuttable and must not bypass strict environmental safeguards. It further details the necessity of meaningful public consultation and effective access to justice at both the planning and permitting stages to ensure legal certainty and environmental protection.

• Member States must exclude areas of high ecological sensitivity from RAAs, including Natura 2000 sites, nationally protected areas, and major migratory routes for birds and marine mammals.
• The designation of RAAs requires a more detailed and robust Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) than standard practices because projects within these areas may be exempt from individual Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs).
• An Appropriate Assessment (AA) under the Habitats Directive is mandatory for all RAA plans likely to have a significant effect on a Natura 2000 site, and this assessment must be distinct from the SEA.
• Cumulative impact assessments are essential during RAA designation to evaluate the combined effects of all potential projects, grid, and storage infrastructure on the environment and Natura 2000 sites.
• Member States must establish a 'mitigation rulebook' for each RAA containing specific, habitat- and species-specific measures to avoid or significantly reduce adverse environmental impacts.
• The use of 'novel mitigation measures' that are not widely tested should be restricted, prioritized only when no alternatives exist, and subject to rigorous monitoring and the precautionary principle.
• Public consultations for RAA designation must be conducted early, when all options (including the 'zero option' of not designating the area) are still open, and must involve local communities.
• Renewable energy projects in RAAs are generally presumed to have no likely significant environmental effects and may be exempt from project-level EIAs, provided they comply with the mitigation rulebook.
• The presumption that renewable energy projects are in the 'overriding public interest' is rebuttable and can be overturned if there is clear evidence of significant, unmitigable adverse environmental impacts.
• Before a project is granted 'overriding public interest' status, an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Directive must be conducted as a prerequisite.
• Access to justice must be guaranteed for the public concerned to challenge violations of environmental law at both the RAA designation stage and the individual project permitting stage.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms should not replace judicial proceedings for disputes involving the interpretation of EU law, as ADR panels cannot make preliminary references to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

APA

Agapakis, I., Pravuljac, M., & Tralmaka, I. (2025). Renewable Energy for Nature and People. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/tnzjxint/renewable-energy_clientearth_2025.pdf

Chicago

Agapakis, Ioannis, Maja Pravuljac, and Ilze Tralmaka. Renewable Energy for Nature and People. ClientEarth, 2025. https://www.clientearth.org/media/tnzjxint/renewable-energy_clientearth_2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Agapakis |first1=Ioannis |last2=Pravuljac |first2=Maja |last3=Tralmaka |first3=Ilze |title=Renewable Energy for Nature and People |publisher=ClientEarth |date=February 2025 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/tnzjxint/renewable-energy_clientearth_2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{agapakis2025renewable, author = {Agapakis, Ioannis and Pravuljac, Maja and Tralmaka, Ilze}, title = {{Renewable Energy for Nature and People}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/tnzjxint/renewable-energy_clientearth_2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }