Greece introduces new spatial planning rules for PV

Greece’s Ministry of Environment and Energy has introduced a new spatial planning regime for renewable energy and energy storage, including photovoltaic systems.

The new framework has now become state law and has overhauled the country’s spatial planning framework for renewable energy, updating policies dating back to 2008. The previous framework did not include spatial planning rules for energy storage, so the ministry has also introduced provisions covering storage systems.

The new regulations “modernize siting rules by establishing stricter and clearer criteria, restrictions, and guidelines for the installation of new renewable energy plants and storage facilities,” the ministry said in a press release.

The rules also “take into account current environmental, social, and economic conditions and are geared towards the long-term goal of achieving the country’s energy targets by 2050,” it added.

For PV plants specifically, the new siting rules prohibit systems in areas considered “environmentally, culturally and spatially sensitive,” according to the ministry. These include forests land, national park, designated natural monuments and forests of aesthetic value, as well as cultural heritage protection areas, areas designated in Greece as “landscapes of particular natural beauty, beaches used for swimming, protected areas within the Natura 2000 network, wetland sites, and other protected areas.

Many of these restrictions also applied under Greece’s previous spatial planning framework, but the government said the latest update significantly expands the list of protected areas.

More significantly, the new framework sets an upper limit on land use for new PV parks. Greece is divided into 74 regional units, with PV facilities permitted to cover up to 1.5% of the land in each unit.

The ministry said the measure is designed to prevent an overconcentration of projects in specific areas, limit visual and environmental impacts, protect fertile land and local economies, and ensure more balanced and equitable renewable energy development across the country.

The new framework does not apply to projects already under development that have obtained all required environmental permits. It also excludes rooftop PV and small-scale PV plants that do not require licensing.

The regulations also do not apply to large hydropower plants, pumped hydro energy storage projects or green hydrogen production facilities.

The new spatial planning regime is not expected to significantly alter PV investment plans before 2030, as many large-scale solar projects have already obtained their environmental permits and are therefore exempt from the new rules. The framework is, however, expected to have a greater impact on Greece’s PV sector after 2030.

Greece had installed about 11.5 GW of PV capacity by the end of 2025. The country’s National Energy and Climate Plan targets 13.5 GW of installed PV capacity by 2030 and 35 GW by 2050. Greece is expected to reach its 2030 target this year.