EDP chief says EU governments, not Brussels, slowing renewable energy investment

LISBON, July 16 (Reuters) - European Union member states are failing to implement permitting reforms needed to get renewable energy projects built despite European Commission efforts to spur clean power investment, the CEO of Portuguese energy group EDP said on Thursday.

Measures the EU adopted after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine to simplify permitting for renewable projects have yet to be fully implemented by many countries, including Portugal, Poland and Italy, said CEO Miguel Stilwell d'Andrade.

"The problem is not Europe. It's much more up to the member states and to the regional and local governments than Europe. It's really about execution on the ground," he told reporters.

He said lengthy environmental permitting processes were taking years to approve and delaying investment decisions across Europe. 

The European Commission launched infringement proceedings last August against 26 member states for failing to fully turn its directives into law.

A spokesperson for Portugal's environment ministry said the country is adopting measures to "streamline and facilitate permitting as much as possible," while engaging local communities early and explaining project benefits and compensation.

Italy's energy ministry and a Polish government spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

EDP, through its subsidiary EDP Renovaveis, the world's fourth-largest wind energy producer, has a global footprint spanning 29 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia.

EDP plans to invest €12 billion ($13.74 billion) between 2026 and 2028, mainly to expand its renewable energy capacity, with a focus on the U.S.

The plan includes €3.6 billion of investment in electricity networks, a key enabler of renewable energy deployment, with two-thirds to be spent in Iberia.

EDP said in January that renewable energy projects in Europe can take four to six years to secure permits, even though they typically take only 12 to 18 months to build.

($1 = 0.8736 euros)

(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; editing by Charlie Devereux and Rod Nickel)