Province of Utrecht: requesting permission to install a wind turbine

You can only submit a request for a project decision if the capacity for the installation will be between 5 and 100 megawatts.

The provincial authorities may decide to reject the request for a project decision. For example, because the wind energy plan is not in keeping with the policy of the provincial authorities or that of the municipality. In that case, the provincial authorities must designate another location where you can realise the wind energy initiative. The provincial authorities may also decide not to participate in the initiative. This must be communicated via a request to the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. Possible reasons include:

• The provincial authorities do not expect that decision-making will be much faster by applying the project decision or that other ‘significant benefits’ can be achieved. Nor do the size, nature and location of the planned production installation give reason to expect this.

The provincial authorities have sufficient alternatives to contributing to the national objective for the onshore generation of sustainable electricity through wind energy.

Consult with the stakeholders first. They are, for example, people living in the area or companies that are located nearby. Also consult with the provincial authorities and your municipality. This increases the chances of them assessing your request positively.

This is how you make your request:

• Go to the online Omgevingsloket (in Dutch). This is the service counter for environmental and planning permits.

• Do the permit check.

• Log in.

You need to submit your plans for a wind energy installation to the provincial authorities via online Omgevingsloket (in Dutch).

The costs for making the project decision and carrying out the necessary studies are payable by you.

The time it takes for a decision on your permit application depends on the (potential) impact your company has on the environment. There are two possibilities:

• Regular procedure: The (potential) impact on the environment is low. Under the regular procedure, the provincial authorities make a decision within 8 weeks. However, if they deem it necessary, they can extend this period by a maximum of 6 weeks.
• Extensive procedure: The (potential) impact on the environment is high. Under the extensive procedure, stakeholders will be given the opportunity to respond to your plans. In addition, sometimes the impact on the environment must be investigated further as well. It takes an average of six months before the provincial authorities can take a final decision on your permit application.

An appeal against a project decision can be filed directly with the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State. Appeals against a project decision are decided on within six months.