Table 1: Financial and administrative obstacles to small hydro in the European Union
| Member state |
Time taken to obtain a licence |
Fees for the use of water |
| Austria |
1 year plus |
No fee |
| Belgium |
NA |
Yes |
| Denmark |
Almost impossible |
No fee |
| France |
6 years |
No fee |
| Germany |
6-24 months |
No fee |
| Greece |
3-5 years |
Yes, for use of water reserve and supplying small hydro |
| Ireland |
1 year |
No fee |
| Italy |
4-8 years |
No fee |
| Netherlands |
10 years |
No fee |
| Portugal |
9-12 years |
No fee |
| Spain |
6-10 years |
No fee |
| Sweden |
2-7 years |
No fee |
| United Kingdom |
5-8 years |
No fee for <5MW; small charges for 5-10MW |
| Bulgaria |
NA |
Yes |
| Czech Republic |
1-2 years |
No fee |
| Estonia |
1-2 years |
No fee |
| Hungary |
12-15 months |
NA |
| Latvia |
18 months |
NA |
| Lithuania |
18-36 months |
No fee |
| Poland |
1-8 years |
Usually no fee, but some charges for state owned territory covered by water. |
| Romania |
1 year |
No fee |
| Slovakia |
2 years |
Yes, according to production |
| Slovenia |
2 years |
Yes |
Source: Date from the European Small Hydropower Association
