The latest form of the draft law cutting green energy support schemes, seen on Wednesday by Ziarul Financiar, provides for a reduction from 2 to 1 or 1.5 certificates for each megawatt of wind energy, from 3 to 1.4 certificates for micro hydropower plants, from 6 to 3.5 for solar power and from 2 certificates to 1.6 for biomass energy.
The draft law also provides for the maximum accepted trading price of green certificates to be EUR30/MW, down from EUR55 at present. The minimum guaranteed price will also be kept at EUR27/MW.
In addition, a maximum quantity of green energy produced will be introduced – 3,500 MW.
Another difference to the current situation is that a financial guarantee will be required for the projects. The new scheme is set to come into force as of July 1.
In its current form, the draft provides for non-retroactive enforcement, but the price limit for green certificates will most likely also apply for projects that have already been started. The stake is huge because the green energy sector boasts investments of hundreds of millions euro.
Economy Ministry official Alexandru Sandulescu, present on Wednesday at the first day of ZF Power Summit ’13, said the draft has not been finalized yet, but gave a clear message that the support scheme needs to be adjusted.
“We notice a certain asymmetry between the interest of investors in renewable energy and the interest of investors in other sources of energy. Unfortunately there are companies who are major producers of coal or hydro-power energy in their countries, but who come only for wind energy in Romania,” said Sandulescu, director of the energy department within the Economy Ministry.
On the other hand, Sandulescu says Romanian-based industrial companies complain about being rejected by wind power producers when the former tried to deliver components to them.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)