ATHENS – A proposed environment and energy ministry bill to simplify the licensing of renewable energy sources (RES), which was unveiled for public consultation on Wednesday, will give municipalities and regional authorities incentives for the installation of RES units in order to provide cheaper energy to vulnerable consumers and households living below the poverty line.

The proposed bill aims to reduce the average licensing time for new RES projects to 14 months from five years, to increase the capacity of the electricity network to include more RES units and to develop electricity storage projects with an installed capacity of at least 3.5 GW by 2030. The government’s goal, according to Environment and Energy Minister Costas Skrekas, is to announce the first tenders for battery-powered storage units in the fall.