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23 September 2025
Publication series – 14 of 76 Insights
The Renewable Energy Expansion Acceleration Act – a boost for the energy transition in Austria?
- Briefing
Long awaited in Austria, the draft bill on the Renewable Energy Expansion Acceleration Act (EABG) was finally presented on 9 September 2025 and referred for a six-week review period. The declared aim of the EABG, which is intended to implement key provisions of the RED III Directive (EU 2023/2413), is to significantly accelerate the expansion of energy transition projects, such as wind power and photovoltaic plants, electrolysers and electrical transmission systems.
Key instruments for achieving this ambitious goal include streamlining and accelerating approval procedures by introducing a fully concentrated approval procedure (“one-stop shop”) even below the EIA (environmental impact assessment) thresholds, designating acceleration and infrastructure areas, and introducing a new screening procedure.
We have taken a closer look at the details of the current draft bill:
Key instruments for accelerating procedures
For energy transition projects (i.e. plants for generating energy from renewable sources, plants for converting electricity into hydrogen or synthetic gas, energy storage facilities and electrical transmission lines) that are not subject to mandatory environmental impact assessments, the new EABG approval regime will apply in future. Instead of a multitude of approval procedures, all necessary federal and state administrative regulations will be applied in a single approval procedure (“one-stop shop”).
In addition to the standard procedure, the EABG provides for a simplified procedure or notification procedure for certain energy transition projects. One positive aspect is the exemption from approval and notification for certain projects, such as building-integrated and rooftop PV systems, certain open-space and agri-PV systems, and certain battery storage systems.
For energy transition projects located within acceleration areas and route corridors, the EABG will in future allow the environmental impact assessment, nature impact assessment and compliance with species protection measures in accordance with the FFH or Birds Directive to be waived if a screening procedure is conducted. The prerequisite is that the project – only after measures or compensation payments for species protection programmes have been prescribed – is not expected to have any significant unforeseen adverse environmental effects, whereby the assessment is limited to an approximate assessment.
In future, energy transition projects will be presumed by law to be in the overriding public interest, which will tip the balance in favour of the projects when weighing up interests in the approval procedure. The instrument of procedural structuring, already familiar from the EIA procedure, including the possibility of setting deadlines for further submissions by the parties, will now also be anchored in the EABG approval regime.
Acceleration areas, clear corridor routes and expansion targets for the federal states
In Austria, the designation of acceleration areas pursuant to Art. 15c RED III Directive is the responsibility of the individual federal states. In future, corridor routes for power lines are also to be defined and kept free based on environmental assessments. Projects located in such areas benefit from the procedural simplifications already outlined above (waiver of environmental impact assessment, nature impact assessment and compliance with species protection measures) under the EABG.
In future, the EABG will set expansion targets for the federal states in the form of production benchmarks based on the annual amount of electricity generated from renewable sources, considering existing plant capacities, to contribute to the achievement of Austria’s climate targets under the Paris Climate Agreement. However, the EABG does not contain any specific guidelines for achieving these targets or sanctions for non-compliance with the expansion targets.
Our conclusion
The EABG contains important provisions to counteract the increasingly frequent and sometimes massive delays in approval processes and to further promote the expansion of renewable energies in Austria. It is a step in the right direction, with the provisions on speeding up procedures, such as the concentration and structuring of procedures, the new screening procedure and the legal anchoring of overriding public interest, being particularly welcome. However, whether the EABG will ultimately deliver on its stated potential to accelerate the energy transition will depend not least on the resources available (staff, experts, etc.) at the authority level, which can already have a significant impact on the duration of approval procedures.
Despite these welcome new regulations, there is a need to refine and adapt individual provisions: at present, the state expansion targets are only non-binding, with the specified values falling noticeably short of the expectations of the renewable energy industry, which is calling for them to be raised. The renewable energy industry is also calling for more precise specifications, for example for the screening procedure (currently there are no criteria for the depth of the review) and the definition of acceleration areas.
It remains to be seen whether and, if so, what changes and refinements the current EABG draft will undergo in the further legislative process. However, some initial key insights are already evident: securing project sites (in acceleration areas) in a forward-looking and timely manner will become just as important in future as participation in the strategic environmental assessment and careful preparation of the submission documents.
Our experts will be happy to keep you updated and support you in the planning and implementation of energy transition projects.
In this series
EU specifies certification of permanent CO₂ removals
11 February 2026
by Dr. Janina Pochhammer, Dr. Niels L. Lange, LL.M. (Stellenbosch)
Electricity Tax Amendment 2025/2026: New rules for BESS, charging infrastructure and renewable energies
14 January 2026
Battery storage systems in outdoor areas - current classification in accordance with § 35 BauGB
19 December 2025
HR compliance in the energy sector – customs authorities step up the fight against sham-employment
15 December 2025
The Current Challenges for Offshore Wind Energy in Germany
2 December 2025
by Multiple authors
Offshore wind in Germany: from market premiums to Contracts for Difference?
28 November 2025
by Multiple authors
Energy Sharing under Section 42 of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG)
26 November 2025
Bundestag Decides on the Privileging of Battery Storage Facilities in Outdoor Areas under § 35 (1) BauGB
12 November 2025
Industrial electricity price: Initial assessment and opportunities for companies
21 November 2025
by Dr. Markus Böhme, LL.M. (Nottingham), Johannes Schaadt-Wambach, LL.M. (Prag)
FIDIC – An introduction to the FIDIC Suite 2017
22 October 2025
by Multiple authors
The Renewable Energy Expansion Acceleration Act – a boost for the energy transition in Austria?
23 September 2025
Federal Network Agency discussion paper on reforming grid fees for industry and commerce
25 September 2025
by Multiple authors
German-Dutch Treaty on Cross-Border Energy Projects
18 September 2025
by Multiple authors
Energy communities in Austria and the new Electricity Industry Act (ElWG)
15 September 2025
New amendment to the Energy Industry Act (EnWG) introduced in July and August 2025
8 September 2025
Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF) – a new state aid framework for the green transformation of industry
8 September 2025
by Dr. Michael Brüggemann, Johannes Schaadt-Wambach, LL.M. (Prag)
Industrial electricity prices: initial assessment and opportunities for businesses
18 August 2025
by Johannes Schaadt-Wambach, LL.M. (Prag), Dr. Markus Böhme, LL.M. (Nottingham)
Regulatory Framework for Transmission System Operators in Germany
18 August 2025
by Multiple authors
Court ruling on the effectiveness of availability guarantees for wind turbines
31 July 2025
New Legal Framework for the Commercial Use of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU)
11 July 2025
by Multiple authors
Are offshore wind converter platforms a bottleneck in the energy transition? New German government wants to create production capacities at German shipyards
17 June 2025
by Multiple authors
Speeding up the energy transition - the new German government’s plans for gas and steam power plants and its quest for the right technology for renewable energy
8 May 2025
by Multiple authors
Update - Change of government opens the door to carbon capture and storage and carbon capture and utilisation
17 April 2025
by Multiple authors
The special fund for infrastructure and climate protection - what is next?
10 April 2025
by Multiple authors
Changes to CBAM through Omnibus legislative package
10 April 2025
The role of heat probes in the energy transition: Authorisation procedures and potential
26 March 2025
CJEU judgement on customer installations in accordance with Section 3 No. 24a Law on the Energy Industry EnWG
26 March 2025
by Dr. Markus Böhme, LL.M. (Nottingham), Dr. Christian Ertel
Will the new German government open the door for carbon capture and storage?
26 February 2025
by Multiple authors
Waste heat from data centres - new reporting obligations under the EnEfG
6 February 2025
by Multiple authors
Oman and Belgium Sign Landmark MoU on Green Hydrogen Cooperation
11 December 2024
Decision day: Grid fee exemption in customer systems and energy price brake put to the test
28 November 2024
by Dr. Christian Ertel, Dr. Markus Böhme, LL.M. (Nottingham)
Hydrogen core network - The Federal Network Agency’s strategy for the energy transition
11 November 2024
by Multiple authors
Amendment to the Energy Industry Act: changes for energy supply companies and grid and system operators
18 September 2024
by Dr. Christian Ertel, Dr. Markus Böhme, LL.M. (Nottingham)
Standard Essential Patents: A new challenge for the IoT and smart meter world
10 September 2024
Land acquisition and data protection: The importance of the GDPR when project developers request owner data
18 July 2024
by Dr. Patrick Vincent Zurheide, LL.M. (Aberdeen), Dr. Julia Wulff
Municipalities to share profit in wind turbines and ground-mounted photovoltaic systems
11 July 2024
by Multiple authors
Solar Package I - Overview of Changes to Ground-Mounted and Building-Mounted PV Systems
27 May 2024
Mandatory special charge for open space photovoltaic systems in Brandenburg
21 February 2024
by Multiple authors
A new era for wind energy investments in Hungary
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
26 January 2024
Updating the National Hydrogen Strategy
6 November 2023
by Dr. Niels L. Lange, LL.M. (Stellenbosch), Dr. Janina Pochhammer
The new CO2 border adjustment mechanism (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism - “CBAM”) - first statutory reporting obligations set for January 2024
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
3 November 2023
New IT security requirements for the energy sector
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
1 September 2023
by Dr. Paul Voigt, Lic. en Derecho, CIPP/E, Alexander Schmalenberger, LL.B.
Does monument protection hinder the expansion of renewable energies?
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
16 August 2023
The amending law to strengthen digitisation in the urban land use planning process and the further expansion of renewable energies
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
6 July 2023
Challenges for data center operators - The federal government’s draft bill for an energy efficiency act
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
12 April 2023
by Multiple authors
The Energy Charter Treaty in the Light of the Electricity Price Brake: An opportunity for investors to litigate?
27 January 2023
Ordinance for Determining Critical Infrastructures (KritisV): Renewable energy plants as critical infrastructure and requirements for IT protection
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
12 July 2022
by Dr. Paul Voigt, Lic. en Derecho, CIPP/E, Dr. Markus Böhme, LL.M. (Nottingham)
Liquefied Natural Gas Projects in Germany: The LNG Acceleration Act
Q&A series: Energy & Infrastructure
10 June 2022
Participation of local municipalities in the context of wind and photovoltaic projects
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
5 May 2022
Renewable Energy Wrap-Up – France
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
27 April 2022
Renewable Energy Wrap-Up - United Kingdom
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
15 March 2022
Building energy performance: the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
14 February 2022
Fit for 55 – Hydrogen and the Reform of the European Gas Market
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
11 January 2022
Renewable Energy Wrap-Up – Netherlands
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
2 December 2021
Renewable Energy Wrap-Up – Poland
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
21 September 2021
by Olav Nemling
Renewable Energy Wrap-Up – Austria
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
18 August 2021
Renewable Energy Wrap-Up - Germany
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
12 July 2021
Floating Foundations for Offshore Wind Farms
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
8 June 2021
Species protection exemption: Significance for wind energy
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
25 May 2021
Power-to-Hydrogen
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
6 April 2021
Focus PV – Floating Solar and Agrivoltaics
Power Play: Renewable Energy Update
23 March 2021
