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Green Fix to Replace Russian Gas Is Stymied by Europe’s Red Tape

Renewable-power developers cite permitting as biggest obstacle

A wind turbine farm near Biegen, in Brandenburg district, Germany.

A wind turbine farm near Biegen, in Brandenburg district, Germany.

Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
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Ten-thousand euros to print binders full of documents. Years in court to defend lawsuits. Hiring local contractors to lobby small-town bureaucrats.

Energy producers say these time-consuming bottlenecks are thwarting Europe’s push to ditch Russia and be more self-reliant.