Large energy consumers, exempt from payment for green certificates only after EC notice

The emergency ordinance on incentives for renewable energy was published in the Official Gazette without the provision from the draft legislation under which the large electricity consumers were exempt from payment of 50% of green certificates, following to be exempt only after the opinion of the EC. The draft GEO amending the renewable energy law provided that large consumers with an annual consumption higher than 150,000MWh were to pay green certificates for 50% of the acquired energy. In the final form of the GEO, this provision was replaced however with that under which a percentage of the energy supplied to end-consumers is exempt from the legal provisions.  “A percentage of the amount of electricity supplied to end-consumers is exempted from the provisions of this law, in compliance with the applicable European legislation. The qualification conditions for the exemption mechanism, as well as the exempted amount, conditioned by the application of the annual programs for increasing energy efficiency shall be approved by Government Decision and are subject to a separate ANRE regulation, after the notification to the European Commission and obtaining a positive decision from it”, the Government Emergency Ordinance reads.