The "Green Reactor" brought 60 million euro to investors

The support for those investing in renewable energy will increase significantly in the near future by the entry of a new law.

The installed capacity in small hydropower plants, wind and photovoltaic farms and biomass power plants, reached at the end of September the equivalent of a nuclear reactor in Cernavoda.

The largest investors in renewable energy are the Czechs from CEZ, the Portuguese form EDP and the Austrian Gerard Schweighofer. Over 60 investors have received this year 60 million euro bonuses.

In the first nine months of this year, 63 companies have delivered into the national energy system electric power produced from renewable sources and have received bonuses of 60 million euro, with 55% more than last year. This sudden increase of the support is due to the entry into operation of three major wind farms in Dobrogea: "Cernavoda" (built by the Portuguese from EDP), "Salbatica" (Enel) and "Silistea" (Butan Gas). According to the effective law, the company that supplies in the national energy system one MWh receives a green certificate which then can be valued on the OPCOM power exchange. From January to the end of September, 1.05 million certificates were issued and the rating of such a title was of 241 lei. These incomes are supplemented by the receipts on the electric power sold at the market price.

Most of these green certificates were received by the Czechs from CEZ, 43% of total, for which they received 28.2 million euro bonuses. They have put into operation last year more than half of the largest wind project in the Continental Europe, Fantanele-Cogealac, located in Dobrogea.

On the second position regarding the proceeds are the Portuguese from Energias de Porugal (EDP).

2011 recorded two premiers: the opening of the first plant using biogas and of a photovoltaic farm.

The new support scheme for energy producers looks like this:

• 3 certificates for each 1 MWh produced by new small power plants
• 2 certificates for each 1 MWh produced by refurbished power pants
• 1 certificates for every 2 MWh produced by power plants, others than those mentioned
• 2 certificates for each 1 MWh produced by the wind farm until 2017
• 3 certificates for each 1 MWh obtained from biomass, biogas, geothermal energy
• 6 certificates for each 1 MWh produced by the photovoltaic farms.