Race to replace Russian gas with wind delayed by red tape

The main blockage on the way to Europe's energy security is neither technical nor financial but bureaucratic — leading to increasing calls to fast-track approval for renewable schemes 

European leaders promised to scale up the continent’s renewable-power capacity while reducing imports of Russian gas, but words move faster than permits. Picture: Neil Michael

Ten thousand euro to print binders full of documents. Years in court to defend lawsuits. Hiring local contractors to lobby small-town bureaucrats. Energy producers say these time-consuming bottlenecks are thwarting Europe’s push to ditch Russia and be more self-reliant.

European leaders promised to scale up the continent’s renewable-power capacity while reducing imports of Russian gas, but words move faster than permits.