Andros municipality challenges new renewable energy spatial framework

The Municipality of Andros has announced plans to appeal to the Council of State to annul a new ministerial decision regarding the Special Spatial Framework for Renewable Energy Sources (RE-SFF).

The new framework introduces stricter regulations for the placement of wind and solar parks, including exclusion zones, environmental restrictions, maximum coverage percentages, and landscape protection rules. It also seeks synergy with tourism spatial planning.

Under the new guidelines, a horizontal ban on new wind installations applies to islands smaller than 300 square kilometers. While 13 large islands, including Andros, Crete, and Rhodes, are technically eligible for wind development, the synergy with tourism regulations creates additional filters. These filters exclude areas classified as tourist-saturated or underdeveloped. While some areas like Thassos have been exempted from new wind turbines, Andros remains available for wind energy development, prompting the local municipality to seek legal recourse.