The government: only part of the consumers who started producing electricity earlier could not pay electricity generation premiums for 10 years

This conclusion of the Government was requested by the Seimas regarding the amendments to the Law on the Energy of Renewable Resources submitted by representatives of the “democratic” faction Laima Nagienė, Linas Kukuraitis and Zigmantas Balčytis.

Currently, renewable energy production premiums apply only to those consumers who received a permit to produce electricity after July 1, 2023.

However, according to the Government, all consumers who independently produce electricity in solar, wind or biogas power plants must pay the electricity production fee.

It is true that the Government proposes to set a 10-year transitional period before the start of payments for those producers who received the permits to produce electricity or the declaration of the contractor who installed the electrical equipment before July 1.

Thus, according to the Cabinet of Ministers, the principle of fair competition will be ensured, meeting the expectations of both electricity producers and community organizations.

ELTA reminds that the so-called “Breakthrough” package adopted by the Seimas in June 2022 and prepared by the Ministry of Energy stipulates that future producers of electricity from renewable resources will be required to pay production premiums, and the collected funds will be used to support community projects. As planned, they aimed to improve the environment and increase the economic and social well-being of society.

The size of the production contribution stipulated in the law is 0.0013 euros per 1 kWh (kilowatt hour), which means that, for example, the production contributions of a 50 MW (megawatt) wind power plant would amount to an average of 150,000 euros annually. euros.

However, in February 2023, the “democrats” of the Seimas claimed that after establishing the obligation to support initiatives of local communities only for future and not existing producers, consumers who had already produced electricity at that time were still not obliged to support communities, and the amount of support from producers depended only on their benevolence.