The Government may approve today the draft emergency ordinance reducing the renewables support scheme

The draft emergency ordinance on the postponement until 2017 of granting a number of green certificates is on the agenda of Tuesday’s government meeting. The bill provides that by 2017 a single green certificate out of two will be provided for wind power plants, two green certificates out of three for new hydropower plants, with installed powers of no more than 10MW, and four certificates out of six for solar power plants. Renewable energy producers have opposed these amendments. Another controversial provision favors large consumers. Those with consumption higher than 150,000MWh per year would pay green certificates for only 50% of the acquired energy amount. Deferred certificates, i.e. one certificate for wind, one for hydro and two for solar energy, can be recovered after three years, depending on how the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) will decide. According to the Law 220/208, the number of green certificates was to be diminished as of 2017. In conditions in which the certificates not granted in the following three years will have to be recovered, this diminishing will apply later.