Exactly, that’s how it should be but it isn’t. Wind power has to do an environmental assessment on birds when it’s only 1/6000 deaths. Offshore wind needs to show effect of the noise on marine wildlife when fossil fuels and farminc poison the water.

Here’s a UK example, maybe unfair to use UK as an example but this is how it is for one of the largest wind producers in Europe.

Mandatory almost always

• Planning Statement
• Site Layout Plans and Drawings
• Environmental Statement (EIA) [almost always required at this scale]
• Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) [politically critical]
• Ornithology Report [required if any bird sensitivity; very often triggered]
• Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA)
• Noise Impact Assessment (ETSU-R-97)
• Transport Assessment
• Grid Connection Offer / Electrical Layout

Conditionally required

• Design and Access Statement [required in England for most major developments]
• Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) [if near/impacting SAC/SPA/Ramsar sites]
• Shadow Flicker Assessment [if residential receptors within ~10 rotor diameters]
• Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) [often required pre-construction condition; sometimes submitted upfront]
• Peat Management Plan [if peat soils present; critical in Scotland/uplands]
• Heritage Impact Assessment [if within setting of listed buildings / conservation areas]
• Archaeological Survey Report [if potential below-ground remains]
• Flood Risk Assessment [if in flood zones or drainage impact possible]
• Hydrology and Hydrogeology Report [if affecting watercourses, groundwater, or peat]
• Aviation Impact Assessment [if within radar/airspace consultation zones]
• Socioeconomic Impact Assessment [if material local economic effects claimed]
• Community Consultation Report [mandatory for DNS/major schemes in some jurisdictions; strongly expected]
• Decommissioning Plan [often secured via planning condition but sometimes included upfront]

But it can also be blocked by these:

• Local Planning Authority (LPA) [primary decision-maker; can refuse planning permission]
• Secretary of State / Planning Inspectorate [can overturn or refuse on appeal or call-in]
• Statutory Nature Bodies (e.g. Natural England, NatureScot, NRW) [can object on ecology/HRA grounds]
• Local Community / Parish Councils [political pressure; can trigger refusal]
• Environmental NGOs (e.g. RSPB, Wildlife Trusts) [strong objections, especially on birds/bats]
• Ministry of Defence (MOD) [radar / aviation objections]
• Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) / NATS [airspace / radar interference]
• National Grid ESO / Distribution Network Operator (DNO) [can delay or deny viable grid connection]
• Historic England / Cadw / Historic Environment Scotland [heritage objections]
• Environment Agency / SEPA / NRW [flood risk, hydrology, pollution concerns]
• Highways Authority [can block due to abnormal load transport constraints]
• Landowners / Rights Holders [access, cable routes, lease issues]
• Aviation Stakeholders (airports, heliports) [radar / flight path conflicts]
• Public Inquiry (Inspector) [can recommend refusal after appeal]
• Legal Challenges (Judicial Review) [can quash approval post-consent]

Needless to say, spending millions on reports and assessments when it can be blocked anyway by some rando NIMBYs sucks. Then there’s also the fact that the UK grid needs tooooons of investment just to accommodate these new developments.

So all of these reports are not really an issue when you’re making a massive power plant where the price of the plant dominates the cost. The process makes a bit of sense for large scale installations but the amount of work you need to put in for a modest 20MW wind farm in absolutely bonkers.

So yeah, if the government would get out of the way the whole process is a piece of cake and we can have full grid saturation incredibly fast.