Brussels, 02/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 29 April, the European Commission authorised the Italian aid scheme for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources.
The aid regime will run until the end of 2016. All renewable energy technologies, with the exception of solar energy, are eligible to benefit from it. According to Italy, solar energy is already competitive on the Italian market without any requirement directly to support the electricity produced. The nature of the aid to be granted under the regime to renewable energy projects is based on the size of these projects (calls for tender for major projects, small projects will be able to receive aid directly upon request, medium-sized projects will be classified in order of priority, etc). Only small plants will benefit from purchase tariffs, whilst larger ones will receive support in the form of a premium on top of the market price, which will expose these renewable energy sources to market conditions. The regime will also support the renovation of existing generators of all sizes, for instance in order to increase their efficiency or extend their working lives. (Original version in French by Elodie Lamer)