Filenews 5 September 2025 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
Through a ministerial decree instead of a law, the Ministry of the Interior prefers to regulate the issue of granting relevant permits for the installation of an energy storage system and photovoltaics.
On the occasion of the debate in the Parliamentary Committee on Energy of the three law proposals related to the issue, the Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, intervened, calling on the Parliament to proceed with relevant changes. Specifically, these are three law proposals by DISY and DIPA. The first proposal for a law seeks to issue a permit from the competent authority for the installation of photovoltaic systems for self-consumption purposes, to be considered issued, in case the owner or holder of the relevant plot of land or the relevant building falls into the category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. According to the rapporteurs, this regulation will contribute to the acceleration of the process of installation of photovoltaic systems by small and medium-sized enterprises.
The other two proposals provide for the simplification of the licensing process for energy storage facilities and data centers in existing renewable energy projects that have already secured all the necessary permits for their construction and operation. Currently, the legal framework provides that all projects will have to resubmit applications for the issuance of a planning permit and a building permit, resulting in a delay of more than two years.
The Minister of the Interior, in his letter, emphasizes that the ministry treats positively any proposal aimed at simplifying the licensing process for building development. However, he expresses strong reservations in relation to the proposed law, as he believes that any simplification should be part of a specific framework with defined criteria. Mr. Ioannou, commenting on the proposals one by one, argues that with the party regulation which provides that the building permit for the installation of photovoltaic systems for self-consumption purposes will be considered issued in cases where the owner or owner of the relevant plot of land or building falls into the category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, It states that basic criteria, such as the issues of location and ownership, are missing.
Referring to the regulation, according to which the building permit for the installation of an electricity storage system and a data center in combination with a licensed power plant from renewable energy sources will be considered issued, he emphasizes the need to define clear criteria, mainly regarding the location and safety of the facilities. In fact, he also cites the positions expressed in Parliament last June by other technocrats from the Ministries of Energy and Interior, the Fire Brigade and the Department of the Environment, who had strong views on the imposition of conditions to ensure the safe operation of such facilities.
In fact, he notes that the Ministry is working on the issuance of a relevant decree, with which the installation of energy storage systems in existing projects for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources will be exempted from the obligation to obtain a building permit, under specific terms and conditions.
He points out that the relevant decree is expected to be published within the month. In conclusion, he calls on the Parliament to amend the proposals, so that the Minister of the Interior is given the opportunity to determine the relevant regulations, such as distances from borders, creation of fire protection zones, installation of water heaters, through a decree.
