Greece Enacts New Spatial Plan for Renewable Energy
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Greece has enacted its new Special Spatial Planning Framework for Renewable Energy Sources (RE Spatial Plan) following the publication of the Ministerial Decision in the Government Gazette. The regulation, issued by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, and Deputy Ministers Nikos Tsafos and Marilena Soukouli, establishes updated and stricter rules for the siting of renewable energy projects and storage facilities across the country. The full text of the decision is available through the official Government Gazette.
The new framework introduces clearer criteria, uniform restrictions and enhanced safeguards aimed at protecting the environment, local communities and cultural heritage. According to the Ministry, the RE Spatial Plan has been developed in parallel with Greece’s Special Spatial Plans for Tourism and Industry, forming-for the first time-a coherent and integrated national model for spatial planning.
The previous framework, adopted in 2008, provided the foundation for Greece’s renewable energy expansion. The updated regulation reflects current environmental, social and economic conditions and aligns with the country’s long‑term energy objectives through 2050.
Under the new rules, solar PV installations are subject to unified and stricter protection standards nationwide. New photovoltaic projects are prohibited in environmentally sensitive, culturally significant or spatially constrained areas, including Natura 2000 sites, forests, Ramsar wetlands, national parks, designated landscapes, cultural heritage zones, protected terraces, roadless areas and bathing coasts. A national cap is also introduced: new PV installations may not exceed 1.5% of the land area per Regional Unit, ensuring landscape protection and safeguarding agricultural land.
Following public consultation, additional exclusion zones were added, such as historic sites, archaeological monuments, post-1830 protected monuments and areas with drinking-water extraction points. For floating PV systems, exclusions now include diving parks, modern shipwrecks, anchorage zones and artificial underwater attractions. New criteria also apply to marine and lake installations, taking into account fishing grounds, safety distances and resilience measures in areas prone to natural hazards.
For wind energy, the framework sets out clear exclusion zones to ensure balanced development and environmental protection. Wind farms are not permitted in the Attica Region, the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki, high‑altitude zones above 1,200 meters, Ramsar wetlands, designated landscapes, national park cores and specific nature‑protection zones. Restrictions also apply to islands smaller than 300 square kilometers, areas planned for tourism and recreation, active quarrying zones, roadless areas and bathing coasts.
In Natura 2000 Special Protection Areas, wind projects may be allowed only under strict conditions and when explicitly foreseen in approved environmental studies, with wind potential exceeding 7.5 m/s. After public consultation, exclusion zones were expanded to include historic sites, archaeological monuments, post‑1830 protected monuments, drinking‑water extraction areas and untouched coastal zones.
Special rules apply to island regions, requiring landscape studies during environmental permitting and case‑by‑case assessment of mountainous areas based on local morphology and ecological characteristics. The maximum land‑coverage threshold for wind farms on islands remains at 4% per Municipal Unit.
The framework also allows targeted development in areas with low average wind potential, provided certified measurements demonstrate site‑specific wind speeds above 7.5 m/s, installations remain below 1% of the local carrying capacity and all horizontal restrictions are respected.
The Ministry notes that the new RE Spatial Plan provides a modernized, transparent and predictable regulatory environment for renewable energy development, supporting Greece’s long‑term energy transition while ensuring environmental integrity and spatial balance.
