Permitting of battery storage and grid infrastructure: support
Battery storage permitting: we prepare the submission documents and support you through to communication with the technical experts.
Obtaining a permit for battery storage plants and the associated grid infrastructure requires expertise and experience. We guide you competently and reliably through the entire permitting process, from preparing the submission documents to communicating with the technical experts responsible.
Battery storage systems must be classified legally according to their function and mode of operation. They are subject to electricity law and/or, as part of a commercial operating facility, to the Trade Code (Gewerbeordnung). Which electricity-law and trade-law provisions apply in detail must be examined on the basis of the specific plant and its operation; both areas of law may be affected. Under the Trade Code, the focus is mainly on fire protection, firefighting water retention and, depending on the neighbourhood, noise. The capacity from which an electricity-law permit is required is set differently by the federal provinces; the application is made in writing or electronically to the provincial authority, and for commercial operating facilities to the district administrative authority. The application consists of a project prepared by a qualified person, with the documents prescribed by law. The review covers, among other things, the state of the art, electrical safety, building regulations, fire protection and noise protection, whereby the character of the noise depends on the technology and mode of operation, and the assessment is made at the nearest residential areas. Whether a storage system counts legally as an ancillary facility to a generating plant must be examined in each individual case; it does not automatically follow the main plant. As a rule, suitable zoning must be in place before the plant procedure. A complete application with comprehensible documents makes the authority's review easier and avoids requests for additional information during the procedure.
Depending on the site, further areas of law come into play. Walk-in containers may count as buildings and trigger building-law requirements, and small free-standing non-residential buildings are in some provinces exempt from permits or only subject to notification. Sealing of surfaces, clearing or changes to the terrain touch nature conservation law, water extraction for firefighting and firefighting water retention touch water law, and structures near roads need the consent of the road authority. For the fire protection of stationary battery storage, the fire protection requirements applicable in each case must be consulted, for example the OIB Guidelines and relevant OVE rules. Topics include minimum distances to buildings, plot boundaries and other storage systems, access for emergency services, firefighting water demand, fire alarm system, gas detection and ventilation. From a capacity set under provincial law, a plant manager must also be appointed, and agreement with the grid operator is part of the procedure. Which of these areas of law apply depends on size, layout and site; an early classification avoids duplicated work on the documents. We know the requirements of the authorities and technical experts and give recommendations for the next steps.
Which documents a storage project needs depends on the site. Typical are the operational noise assessment for storage, the nature conservation report and the electrical engineering design including grid calculations. The structural engineering design of the storage infrastructure provides the construction documents. If rezoning becomes necessary, support for the rezoning procedure helps. For adjustments to the project, the modification procedure for battery storage is available.
