Some EU countries back the European Commission's proposal to allow tacit approval for projects aimed at upgrading the EU’s ageing power grid, while others have asked the EU's Cyprus Presidency not to make such provision mandatory.
Why it matters: Grid delays are the #1 killer of PV project IRR—this law would finally put the clock on your side instead of the DSO’s.
The End of the Infinite Waiting Room
If you’ve ever sat on a 500kW rooftop project for eighteen months because a DSO clerk in North Rhine-Westphalia or Andalusia hasn’t opened your email, this proposal is the regulatory equivalent of a sledgehammer. The European Commission is finally admitting that bureaucratic inertia is a greater threat to the Green Deal than hardware costs. By pushing for 'tacit approval,' Brussels is attempting to flip the burden of proof: if the grid operator doesn't find a technical reason to say 'no' within a set timeframe, the project moves forward by default.
Why DSOs Are Terrified
Expect fierce lobbying from the likes of E.ON, Enel, and Iberdrola. Their public argument will be 'grid stability,' but the private reality is about staffing and liability. Under current rules, DSOs have zero financial incentive to staff up their permitting departments. They treat solar installers like a nuisance rather than partners. If 'no reply means yes' becomes the standard, the risk of a poorly coordinated connection moves from your balance sheet to theirs. This would force a massive investment in automated grid impact simulations—something the industry has needed for a decade.
The 'Blanket Denial' Trap
Don't celebrate just yet. In jurisdictions that have tried similar 'silent yes' rules, we’ve seen DSOs issue a generic 'Request for Information' (RFI) on day 29 of a 30-day window just to reset the clock. For this to actually benefit a developer in the Netherlands or Poland, the EU must pair tacit approval with strict limits on RFI cycles and mandatory standardized digital portals. Without that, 'silent approval' will just lead to 'noisy, automated rejections' used as stalling tactics.
Field Tactics for Developers