Draft Law on Energy unveiled, energy cooperatives to be introduced

The Ministry of Infrastructure has published a Draft Law on Energy to change some provisions of the existing law and introduce certain new solutions, including the establishment of the energy cooperatives. The draft will be up for public consultation until February 21.

The draft is in line with EU directives, as well as Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy 2014-2020, the ministry said on its website.

The draft creates legal grounds for the processing of personal data in the advanced measurement system, and it extends the definition of guarantees of origin to ensure these certificates can prove not only that electricity is produced from renewable energy sources or combined heat and power (CHP), but also from others non-renewable energy sources.

It also prescribes the legal basis and the basic rules for self-supply of electricity produced from renewable energy sources (prosumers).

At the moment of drafting the law, these changes are already being implemented under the provisions of the decree on the self-supply of electricity from renewable energy sources.

Apart from individual self-supply, the draft also provides for group self-supply and group self-supply in multi-apartment buildings or energy cooperatives and energy communities.

The decree on the self-supply of electricity from renewable energy sources was adopted a few days ago. The principle of self-supply has remained unchanged and is based on the net metering of electricity.

Expanding the possibilities for self-supply and a positive regulatory environment for investors in this kind of facilities enables Slovenia to keep up with developments and trends in the electricity sector, as well as to reach the goal of a 25% share of renewables in gross final consumption by the end of 2020, the ministry said.

At the end of December 2018, the Slovenian Energy Agency invited applications for incentives to support electricity production from renewable energy sources and high-efficiency cogeneration. The deadline for applications is February 11, 2019.