Modification procedures for wind farms: support and submission documents
Wind farm modification procedure under §18b, §18c or §3a UVP-G (EIA Act): expert support and all submission documents from us.
Whether §18b, §18c or §3a UVP-G (Environmental Impact Assessment Act): we know how it works. We provide technically sound support for your modification procedure and prepare all submission documents, from electricity law, clearing, nature conservation and aviation to building law and high-voltage line law. All adjustments are planned and documented precisely. Which route suits depends on the type and extent of the modification.
The three provisions govern different situations. § 3a UVP-G clarifies whether the modification of an existing project is itself subject to environmental impact assessment (EIA). The decisive factor is the capacity extension in relation to the threshold value; in certain cases, the authority decides case by case whether significant effects are to be expected. The characteristics of the project, the site and the possible effects are taken into account. For wind farms falling under column 2 or 3 of Annex 1, an EIA in the simplified procedure must be carried out if the threshold value is reached by the modification or has already been reached, capacity increases by at least 50 percent of the threshold value and the authority finds significant effects. Unless Annex 1 provides otherwise, the capacities approved in the last five years, including the requested extension, are added together, and the requested modification must reach at least 25 percent of the threshold value. If the project applicant itself requests an EIA, the case-by-case examination does not apply. The approval of a modification can also cover the already approved project, to the extent necessary to safeguard protected interests. When examining cumulation with similar, spatially connected projects, the case-by-case examination does not apply if the planned modification reaches less than 25 percent of the threshold value.
§ 18b UVP-G concerns the modification of an EIA approval already granted, before the transfer of jurisdiction. The modified variant must continue to meet the approval requirements, and affected parties are given the opportunity to put forward their interests. § 18c UVP-G allows, in certain cases, a notification instead of a new approval procedure. The prerequisite is that the modification is immission-neutral or represents a technological development with no significant adverse effects and does not contradict the results of the EIA. The notification is accompanied by the confirmation of a licensed Ziviltechniker (Austrian civil-law technical professional) or an engineering consultancy and is submitted at least four weeks before implementation. If the authority has substantiated doubts, it initiates a modification procedure under § 18b. If it does not do so within four weeks, the modifications do not require approval.
In this way your wind farm remains permittable and implementable and retains its economic viability, even under changed framework conditions. We have successfully completed more than 40 EIA procedures. Our knowledge of the authorities and our fact-based assessments show which next steps make sense. The basis is the original approval procedure for wind farms. Depending on the modification, for example the EIA expert contributions or the electrical engineering design are adapted. For the modernisation of existing plants, there is expert support in repowering.
