BESTGRID had 3 overriding objectives:
¤ to improve acceptance for electricity grids by increasing transparency and applying best practices in participation
¤ to speed up permitting procedures while proactively addressing or even going beyond environmental protection standards
¤ to support the implementation of best practices in permitting procedures for “projects of common interest”
Activities
The project partners aimed to achieve these objectives through the following activities:
Pilot projects: new approaches were developed with close cooperation between NGOs, TSOs and a research institute, and were tested in three pilot projects. Experiences were evaluated. In the UK and Belgium, lessons from ongoing projects were used to improve National Grid’s and Elia's approaches in designing stakeholder engagement processes.
Dissemination: All lessons learned were widely spread across Europe through communication measures, such as workshops, this website, bilateral meetings, newsletters, and two handbooks on environmental impacts and public participation.
Best practice exchange: Terna Rete Italia tested a set of best practice exchange tools. The transferability of selected best practices was tested in a set of workshops.
Capacity building & guidance: BirdLife was organising training events for NGOs on successful and constructive engagement with grid development procedures and projects, as well as roundtables between NGOs and authorities in Central and Eastern Europe. Towards the end of BESTGRID, BirdLife and Germanwatch wrote guidebooks, one focusing on “Participation and Transparency”, the other on “Protecting the Environment and Engaging Environmental Stakeholders”.
Scientific monitoring: The research institute IIASA was evaluating the pilot projects from a scientific perspective. It analysed the action implemented throughout the pilots by applying a framework of guiding principles and collecting data. In addition, it identified the potential of different actions taken to achieve acceptability and the conditions that were necessary for their successful application.
Contact
Renewables Grid Initiative
Neue Promenade 6
10178 Berlin
+49 30 767719455
info (at) bestgrid.eu
The sole responsibility for the content of this website lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EACI nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
The BESTGRID project is a joint learning exercise to find out how to become best. However, it cannot guarantee that all actions applied are automatically best practice.