Norway’s Ministry of Energy proposes legislative changes to speed up power generation and grid development

The key proposals are:

1. Onshore wind power: Municipal approval is required before the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) can grant a licence, but the processing of onshore wind power applications is removed from the scope of the Planning and Building Act.
   
   To clarify the municipality's authority in wind power matters, the Ministry proposes that the NVE cannot make a decision to grant a licence for an onshore wind farm if the municipality has decided not to give its approval to the project. However, the NVE must still assess the licence application. The Ministry proposes to retain, but narrow the scope of, the provision allowing licences to be granted for onshore wind farms without the municipality's consent in exceptional cases, where considerations of security of supply or other significant societal interests so require.
   
   
2. Objections from the County governor etc.: State and regional bodies, as well as local municipalities, shall no longer be able to raise objections to licence applications concerning the grid and power generation – this is dealt with through the ordinary licence application process.
   
   
3. Battery facilities: The processing of applications for battery facilities is simplified: Section 3-1 of the Energy Act is amended to explicitly state that battery facilities may not be constructed, owned or operated without a licence. Battery facilities subject to a licence are exempted from the Planning and Building Act in its entirety (with the exception of Chapter 2 on mapping data etc., Chapter 14 on impact assessments and Section 12 A-13 regarding the relocation of infrastructure, the financing of relocation, etc.). For facilities exempt from the licence requirement under Section 3-1 of the Energy Act Regulations, the Ministry considers that the battery facility as a whole may be dealt with by the local municipality.
   
   
4. Time limits for case processing: The Ministry proposes the introduction of a two-year time limit for the processing of applications for power and grid facilities. The time limit shall run from the date on which the authorities have received a complete application. This will apply to cases processed on the basis of the Energy Act, the Offshore Energy Act, the Water Resources Act and the Watercourse Regulation Act. The proposal meets the requirements of Article 16 of the 2018 Renewable Energy Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources), but will apply to energy and watercourse cases in general. The Renewable Energy Directive covers only applications for power stations and grid facilities necessary to connect the power station to the grid.

For offshore areas, a substantial body of information will be available at the time of application. For specifically designated areas, the Ministry proposes that simplified requirements for project-specific impact assessments be established, along with shorter deadlines for the authorities' processing of projects in these areas.

The proposals follow on from the Government's announcement on 7 August and have been sent out for consultation with a deadline of 15 January 2027.