Most guides to Greek solar permitting are written for rooftops and net metering. This one is for utility-scale plants: which capacity thresholds change the route, which authority decides at each stage, and where the exceptions sit.
Last updated: · Also in Greek: Αδειοδότηση φωτοβολταϊκού σταθμού
This is where most mistakes happen. The law does not measure the same capacity everywhere.
Solar PV plants with a maximum production capacity of 1 MW or less are exempt from the Producer Certificate and from the installation and operating licences (Law 4951/2022, art. 33(1)(c) and 33(5)). Maximum production capacity is not automatically the same as the installed DC capacity of the panels.
The environmental classification, by contrast, counts installed capacity. Keep the two figures in separate fields from the first day of the project. Watch article 33(2) as well: it catches the artificial splitting of projects.
For typical ground-mounted solar PV plants, the table in ministerial decision ΥΠΕΝ/ΔΙΠΑ/63951/4418/2024 (ΦΕΚ Β΄ 3867/03.07.2024) classifies by installed capacity P:
| Installed capacity | Class | Environmental route |
|---|---|---|
| above 1 and up to 5 MW | B | Standard Environmental Commitments (ΠΠΔ) |
| above 5 and up to 50 MW | A2 | Decision approving environmental terms (ΑΕΠΟ, often written AEPO) |
| above 50 MW | A1 | ΑΕΠΟ |
The exceptions change the picture, and they are the ones that get missed:
Class A projects go to an ΑΕΠΟ, class B projects to Standard Environmental Commitments (Law 4014/2011). Small capacity on its own does not prove an exemption.
In the printed version of the table, the A2 entry for Natura shows an inconsistency in the line length. We do not resolve it silently. In a borderline case like this, ask the competent authority to confirm.
Installation and operating licences are issued by the Directorate of Renewable Energy Sources and Alternative Fuels of the Ministry of Environment and Energy for class A1 projects. For A2 and B, they are issued by the competent directorate of the relevant Decentralised Administration (Law 4951/2022, art. 3(3)). Strategic investments go to their own authority.
Keep the roles apart. The licensing authority is not automatically the environmental authority, and it is certainly not the grid operator. Three separate competences, three separate clocks.
| Stage | Deliverable | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Site screening, parcel rights, environmental and grid classification | Developer; forestry, archaeological and cadastral authorities; grid operator |
| 2 | Producer Certificate, or a documented legal exemption | ΡΑΑΕΥ (RAAEY), the energy regulator |
| 3 | ΑΕΠΟ for A1 and A2, ΠΠΔ for B, and a Natura assessment where required | Ministry of Environment and Energy for A1; environmental service of the Decentralised Administration for A2; the authority competent for ΠΠΔ for B |
| 4 | Complete application for a Final Connection Offer, guarantees and acceptance | ΑΔΜΗΕ (IPTO) for transmission, ΔΕΔΔΗΕ (HEDNO) for distribution |
| 5 | Installation Licence, unless exempt, and other land and works approvals | Ministry of Environment and Energy for A1, Decentralised Administration for A2 and B |
| 6 | Connection Agreement, and a support scheme or a direct route to the market | Grid operator; ΔΑΠΕΕΠ (DAPEEP); the regulator for the competitive tender |
| 7 | Construction, inspections, readiness and trial energisation | Developer, grid operator, inspection bodies |
| 8 | Operating Licence for non-exempt plants, and operation | Licensing authority and grid operator |
The stages do not all run in sequence. Start the checks on site, land, forest, archaeology and the connection route before you spend money on the main permits.
The actual configuration of the network and the connection point decides this, not a simple capacity rule. The ΑΔΜΗΕ (IPTO) provision for projects above 10 MW concerns a specific procedure for joint applications by exempt projects, not every plant. The grid operator has the final word on the legal and technical suitability of the connection point.
The examples do not replace a check of the specific site.
MitOS, by Ariadne Labs, derives the route from the project's own data: technology, capacity, location and constraints. Change one input, say a site inside a Natura area, and the classification, permits and deadlines are recalculated. Each requirement carries the provision it comes from.
A short demo on the real stages of your projects, with Greek legislation already built in.
Solar PV plants with a maximum production capacity of up to and including 1 MW are exempt (Law 4951/2022, art. 33(1)(c)). Note that maximum production capacity is not the same as installed capacity.
An ΑΕΠΟ for class A projects, which in the standard table means above 5 MW of installed capacity. Standard Environmental Commitments for class B. The Natura and overhead line exceptions change the class.
The Ministry of Environment and Energy for A1, and the relevant Decentralised Administration for A2 and B (Law 4951/2022, art. 3(3)). Strategic investments are the exception.
It depends on the network and the connection point, not on a capacity threshold. The grid operator confirms it.
This page summarises provisions for information and is not legal or technical advice for a specific project. The provisions were checked in the original gazette on 2 October 2026. Only the official publication in the Government Gazette is authoritative. Classification, exemptions and competence are always assessed per project and per site.
Permitting energy projects is a labyrinth. MitOS is the thread.
