The Economy Ministry has announced that 19 energy-intensive companies have been exempted from the payment of a part of their mandatory quota of green certificates. The facility represents economic aid that allows them to remain competitive on the market.
The Ministry has conditioned the offering of this facility on the beneficiary companies maintaining their number of employees and at the same time expressed confidence that they will invest in the modernization and technological upgrading of their production capacities, will promote the hiring of young workers and will enhance their energy efficiency. Through this initiative, the authorities support the lowering of the technological gap between Romanian companies and their EU competitors and the diminishing of noxious effects on the environment.
Economy Ministry Secretary of State Maricel Popa pointed out that the 10-year exemptions from the payment of green certificates will be monitored annually, the first verification of the beneficiary companies’ continued eligibility set to take place in 2016.
The companies that were exempted today are active in the following domains: the production of chemical fertilisers, waste recycling, steel industry, cement industry, paper and cardboard industry etc.
The regulations on supporting Romanian companies by lowering the pressure of electricity costs were adopted by the Government in 2014. The 10-year programme’s budget is estimated at EUR 750 M. The companies are exempted from the payment of 40 to 85 per cent of the green certificates, the percentage varying based on each company’s energy intensity.
