Wind energy market participants in France, Germany and Spain are likely to incur huge costs in delays and disruption from failing to insure their projects against permit challenges, our market study “Barriers to Wind” has found.
High expectations rest on Europe’s wind energy sector as a key pillar to meet its carbon emission targets, but the lengthy and complex approval process for projects increases the risk of challenges. Appeals and lawsuits against wind farm permits cause uncertainty, prolong installations and threaten to derail Europe’s wind energy targets.
MX Underwriting, Fieldfisher, a European law firm and WindEurope have conducted a survey among wind farm developers and investors operating in France, Germany and Spain that investigates the impact of permit risks on wind farm projects. The survey report sets out the EU and respective national policy, market and legal contexts for onshore wind projects in France, Germany and Spain and delves into the most common causes of delay and how market participants mitigate and respond to these risks.
