ANRE has approved measures to support end-users in their efforts to install power plants for their own consumption.
In particular, on Friday, during a meeting of the Management Board of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE), the power limit for beneficiaries of the net metering mechanism was increased from 5% to 10%, stipulated in Article 39 paragraph (6) of the Law on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. This provision has so far stipulated that the net metering mechanism according to the "first come, first served" principle is used by the final consumer-owners of power plants, whose total installed capacity does not exceed 5% of the maximum load registered during the previous year by the distribution system operator, to whose network the respective power plants are connected. It was stipulated that the 5% limit can be revised by ANRER through a reasoned decision and preliminary public consultations, in accordance with the Law on Energy. ANRE notes that, thus, the capacity limit was increased from 5% to 10%, in order to continue the process of installation and commissioning by end users of power plants generating electricity from renewable sources, intended to cover their own electricity consumption. With the increase in this limit, more end users, including households, will be able to install power plants generating electricity from renewable sources for their own consumption. Their monthly surplus is supplied to the power grid, and the contracted supplier will keep records of these volumes and will pay the difference accumulated during the year to the respective end users, depending on the circumstances, at the end of March each year. It should be noted that, according to the data provided by the distribution system operators, the renewable power plants belonging to the final consumers using the net metering mechanism are currently connected, with a total capacity of 16.8 MW, and connection notices have been issued for the final consumers' power plants that will use the net metering mechanism, with a total capacity of 62 MW. The total capacity limit for the distribution operators, after the approval of the relevant ANRE decision, will be 78.8 MW, calculated as 10% of the maximum load value registered during the previous year by the distribution system operators in the networks to which the respective power plants belong. ANRE stresses that the increase of the capacity limit for net metering mechanism beneficiaries is aimed at facilitating and promoting the development of power plants generating electricity from renewable sources for own use by final consumers, as well as at concluding contracts using the net metering mechanism with universal service providers. // 21.10.2022 – InfoMarket
