The European Commission authorised, on Monday 12 September, a €1.5 billion Romanian scheme to partially compensate energy-intensive companies facing higher electricity prices due to indirect emissions costs under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
The scheme will cover part of the higher electricity prices resulting from the impact of carbon prices on electricity generation costs (‘indirect emissions costs’) incurred between 2021 and 2030. The support measure aims to reduce the risk of ‘carbon leakage’.
The compensation will be granted to eligible companies through a partial refund of the indirect emission costs incurred in the previous year, with the final payment due in 2031. The maximum aid amount will be 75% of these costs. The amount of aid is calculated based on electricity consumption efficiency benchmarks, which ensure that the beneficiaries are encouraged to save energy.
Beneficiaries will either have to implement certain recommendations from energy audits, cover at least 30% of their electricity consumption with carbon-free sources, or invest at least 50% of the aid amount in projects that lead to substantial reductions of their installations’ greenhouse gas emissions. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)