Exemptions for green certificates for 19 companies

The Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Tourism has granted 19 energy intensive companies agreements for exemption from a part of the number of green certificates in the mandatory quota, Business Review magazine reported. Some get exemptions between 40% and 85% in order to keep their competitiveness. Earlier, renewable energy association Patres said the green certificate market is collapsing, with no registered transactions in May and June, affecting especially small and medium producers.

Maricel Popa, secretary of state in the Ministry of Economy, expressed hope that operators supported by exemption will keep their employees, invest in modernization and refurbishment, support young workforce and increase energy efficiency, reducing the technology gap with the competition in the European Union. He added the exemption is valid for 10 years, but that it will be monitored annually. Companies in question operate in the fields of chemical fertilizers production, recycling, steel industry, cement, paper and cardboard.

Patres said there is a major reduction in the annual mandatory quota of electricity produced from renewable energy versus the values set out in law: to 11.1% from 15% in 2014, and to 11.9% compared to 16% for this year. According to energy and gas market regulator ANRE, in late 2014 the total number of green certificates issued through the support scheme was 12.7 million fewer than the quota estimated by the institution at the beginning of the year – 17.6 million, the article adds. Zoltán Nagy-Bege, member of the regulatory committee, said suppliers’ mandatory quota is 10.89 million certificates, which led to an oversupply of 1.75 million. Some 4.6 million certificates are left unsold from last year.