Estonia’s parliament passed the Act on Amendments to the Building Code and Other Acts to accelerate the processes of the deployment of renewable energy.
The Act establishes the superficies licence for offshore wind farms as a new type of licence for offshore wind farms. While so far electricity producers have had to apply separately for a superficies licence, an environmental permit for special use of water and a building permit, the amendment consolidates the requirements for these permit-granting procedures into one.
Application for a superficies licence for offshore wind farms will be more extensive than each separate process but at the same time, it will be quicker because on the whole there will be less submission of documents and performance of various acts. Obtaining a superficies licence will give the right to start the construction of an offshore wind farm and the special use of water needed for that. In the future, a single administrative act will be issued which will also reduce the number of court actions.
The amendment also simplifies the renewal of wind turbines and solar farms and establishes a state fee for proceedings for new applications for a superficies licence and a state fee for proceedings for those who wish to transfer to integrated permit proceedings. In addition, a directive is transposed into Estonian law to enhance the development of the trans-European transport network.