Authorization
On October 9, 2023, the European Council today adopted the new Renewables Energy Directive to raise the share of renewable energy in the EU’s overall energy consumption to 42.5% by 2030 with an additional 2.5% indicative top up to allow the target of 45% to be achieved.
All member states will contribute to achieving more ambitious sector-specific targets in transport, industry, buildings and district heating and cooling. The purpose of the sub-targets is to speed up the integration of renewables in sectors where incorporation has been slower.
Teresa Ribera, the Spanish acting Minister for the Ecological Transition: “This is a great achievement in the framework of the ´Fit for 55´package which will help to achieve the EU’s climate goal of reducing EU emissions by at least 55% by 2030. It is a step forward which will contribute to reaching the EU´s climate targets in a fair, cost-effective and competitive way.”
Member states have a choice between two possible strategies to be applied in the transport sector: either setting a binding target of a 14.5% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity in transport from the use of renewables by 2030 or achieving a binding share of at least 29% of renewables within the final consumption of energy in the transport sector by 2030.
The new rules establish a binding combined sub-target of 5.5% for advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin in the share of renewable energies supplied to the transport sector. Within this target, there is a minimum requirement of 1% of renewable fuels of non-biological origin in the share of renewable energies supplied to the transport sector in 2030.
Under the new directive, industry will need to increase the use of renewable energy annually by 1.6%. Member states agreed that 42% of the hydrogen used in industry should come from renewable fuels of non-biological origin by 2030 and 60% by 2035.
The new rules set an indicative target of at least a 49% renewable energy share in buildings in 2030. Renewable targets for heating and cooling will gradually increase, with a binding increase of 0.8% per year at national level until 2026 and 1.1% from 2026 to 2030.
In the bioenergy sector, the directive strengthens the sustainability criteria for the use of biomass for energy, in order to reduce the risk of unsustainable bioenergy production.
Permit procedures for renewable energy projects will be accelerated. Member states will design renewables acceleration areas where renewable energy projects will undergo simplified and fast permit-granting processes. Renewable energy deployment will also be presumed to be of “overriding public interest”, which will limit the grounds of legal objections to new installations.
The directive will now be published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later. Member states will have 18 months after the entry into force of the directive to transpose it into national legislation.
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