Amendments To The Wetlands Regulation - Implications For Renewable Energy Projects

The Regulation Amending the Regulation on the Protection of Wetlands (“Amending Regulation”), published in the Official Gazette dated 5 September 2026, introduces a number of amendments to the Regulation on the Protection of Wetlands (“Regulation”). The amendments cover a broad range of issues, including the introduction of new definitions, rules governing water use in wetlands, permitting mechanisms applicable to existing facilities, planning and conservation instruments, and implementation principles for certain activities.

Although the Regulation is not a sector-specific piece of legislation governing energy investments, it is nevertheless relevant to hydroelectric power plants, dams, reservoirs, water storage facilities, and other energy projects that interact with wetlands. In this regard, Annex-2 of the Regulation lists hydroelectric power plant projects, water storage facilities, solar power plants, wind power plants above certain thresholds, and various energy infrastructure