GC assignment to be delayed

June 2013 - From the Print Edition

Renewable energy investors will use only half of the green certificates (GC) awarded from July 1 this year. The announcement was made in early April by the Minister for Energy, Constantin Nita, according to Mediafax. "The number of certificates will be granted as follows: one for wind, one for hydro and two for photovoltaics," he said, adding that large consumers will pay for a smaller number of GCs. The assignment of green certificates will be delayed for three years from July 1 this year, and producers can start to recover their losses by January 1, 2017, according to the Minister for Energy. "We had discussions regarding green energy with several ministers from neighboring countries and with the EU Commissioner. We need to find a balance that allows us to go further, meaning that the price of products made in Romania should be competitive on international markets," said Nita. "Based on these considerations, we have assessed our point of views and have tried to become more flexible in terms of energy. A significant change is the temporary postponement of the assignment of the number of green certificates for three and a half years, until 1 January 2017. The recovery of certificates that you [producers of renewable energy] lose in these three years will start by January 1, 2017," he said.