A Second Chance For The Renewables Sector?

The Romanian Ministry of Energy recently finalised the public debate of a document outlining a new mechanism for supporting low-carbon electricity generation, in the form of a Contract for Difference (CfD) scheme.

For over 10 years, Romania has applied a green certificates support scheme that covers projects commissioned until the end of 2016. The scheme has undergone numerous changes that substantially reduced the original support, leading to a steep decline in investor confidence.

The proposed new scheme is inspired by the British CfD system, targeting both the renewables and the nuclear sector.

In a nutshell, eligible producers enter into a private law contract (CfD contract) with the nominated counterparty and agree on a "strike price". Producers sell electricity on the competitive market; if the market price (reflected in the so-called "reference price") falls below the strike price, the counterparty will reimburse producers the difference. Likewise, if the market price exceeds the strike price, the producers...