Wind farm projects blocked by market unpredictability

With renewable energy project demands of some 23,000 MW, consultants, lawyers and company officials debated at the Focus on Renewable Energy event organized by Business Review the predictability issues in this field and Transelectrica’s difficulties in making investments to expand the electricity network.

Dana Ciuraru

One of the mains topics was the changes to Law 220. According to Silvia Vlasceanu, counselor in the Romanian Parliament and executive director of the Association of Companies for Energy Utilities in Romania, most of the discussions about the law related to the number of green certificates allotted to each renewable energy source.

The modified law stipulates that hydro power plants of up to 10 MW will get three certificates if a greenfield project and two if a modernized hydro power plant. Wind farms will receive two certificates per MW by 2017, falling to one in subsequent years. Three green certificates per geothermal MW and six for solar energy projects are the other modifications of Law 220. Moreover, Vlasceanu said that the law also laid out regulations for individuals with energy production capacities of up to 100 kW.

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Dana Duica, executive director of Romanian Wind Energy Association, told the audience that the new measures included in Law 220 make renewable energy projects more bankable. In her opinion, Romania will register some 3,500 MW installed capacity in three years. Duica added that a very important aspect is that the government assumes responsibility for the green certificates excess. She said it was expected that in 90 days from the Law being published in the Official Registry the government will issue a decision specifying the procedure through which it will buy green certificates above a minimum price.

The event, which gathered about 80 company officials, was sponsored by Gamesa, Schneider Electric and Schonherr.