Extension to the deadlines applicable to the licensing of renewable projects

2022-05-25T11:18:00
Portugal
Approved a new extension to the deadlines applicable to the licensing of renewable projects
Extension to the deadlines applicable to the licensing of renewable projects
May 25, 2022

On May 20, 2022, by Order of the Secretary of State for the Environment and Energy, it has been approved a new extension to the deadlines applicable to the licensing of renewable projects, in light of the constraints caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, as follows:

 > Deadlines for the obtention of production and operation licenses under DL 15/2022 of January 14 have been extended by 11 months;

 > Deadlines for the obtention of prior registrations and operation certificates, for projects with an installed capacity of up to 1 MW (“UPPs”), have been extended by 6 months;

 > For projects authorized to start operating without an operation license/certificate, pursuant to DL 30-A/2022, of April 18, the extensions referred above shall apply to the start of operation; and

 > Projects resulting from the 2019 and 2020 solar auctions do not benefit from these extensions.

These extensions are cumulative with the ones that had already been approved by the Secretary of State and by DGEG in the past. In particular, it should be noted that this Order clarifies that the UPPs had already benefitted from a 20-month extension, through (i) the general 10-month extension for all projects approved by the Secretary of State for Energy in June 21, 2021, and (ii) the additional 10-month extension approved specifically for this type of projects by DGEG in July 2, 2021. In fact, as mentioned in the order, these projects were subject to an additional delay not attributable to the respective holders and which justifies the extension for a longer period.

May 25, 2022