Procedure accelerated

A critical look at the energy transition turbo

Which is more important: the public interest in expanding renewable energy or preserving the unique Tyrolean cultural landscape?

(Bild: WWF)

Faster official procedures are intended to advance the energy transition. The magic word for this is public interest in the expansion of renewable energies such as wind, photovoltaics and hydropower. Nature conservation organizations are critical of five amendments to the law.

Climate neutrality by 2050: This goal is now considered to be in the overriding public interest with the expansion of renewable energies. To this end, the corresponding EU law must be implemented as a provincial ordinance in the "First Tyrolean Renewable Expansion Act".

To this end, the provincial parliament is amending the Electricity Act 2012, the Tyrolean Nature Conservation Act 2005, the Tyrolean Building Code 2022, the Tyrolean Spatial Planning Act 2022 and the Urban and Townscape Protection Act. The majority of the amendments will be made by way of significantly shortened approval periods.

The presumption of overriding public interest does not apply without restriction. The authority must decide on a case-by-case basis.

Stv. Landesumweltanwalt Walter Tschon 

Significant impact of projects on the environment
The Tyrolean Environmental Ombudsman and the Tyrolean Chamber of Labor have submitted extensive, sometimes critical comments. An overriding public interest cannot be assumed "if there is clear evidence that projects have a significant negative impact on the environment that cannot be mitigated or compensated for, particularly in Natura 2000 areas," says Walter Tschon, Deputy Provincial Environmental Ombudsman. He welcomes the fact that the state is currently "adhering to the balanced consideration of interests" for the Haslach power plant.

Draft resolution recommends rejection
The voting behavior of the state's nature conservation advisory board is interesting. A draft resolution states that it rejects the draft "as it contains numerous interventions/changes to existing directives and regulations and thus results in a significant weakening of all species protection regulations".