The European Commission has approved the state aid scheme for large energy consumers, worth 1.5 billion euros, through which partial compensation will be granted to companies affected by the energy crisis, the Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, announced on Facebook.

“The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, the aid scheme for large energy consumers worth 1.5 billion euros through which we will grant partial compensation to large energy-consuming enterprises faced with an increase in prices to electricity resulting from the indirect costs of emissions within the EU system for trading emission certificates (ETS).

This measure will benefit companies operating in the sectors exposed to the risk of carbon dioxide emissions relocation listed in Annex I to the Guidelines on certain state aid measures granted in the context of the system for trading gas emission certificates with the effect of greenhouse after 2021 (“ETS State Aid Guidelines”). These sectors face significant electricity costs and are particularly exposed to international competition,” the Minister of Energy announced.

The compensation will be granted to eligible companies in the form of a partial reimbursement of the indirect costs of emissions incurred in the previous year, with the final payment to be made in 2031. The maximum amount of aid will be equal to 75% of the indirect costs of emissions incurred. The amount of aid is calculated on the basis of reference values ​​for the efficiency of electricity consumption, which ensure that beneficiaries are encouraged to save energy.

In the period 2019-2021, a state aid scheme was implemented in Romania to support enterprises in sectors and subsectors exposed to a significant risk of relocation, as a result of the transfer of the cost of greenhouse gas emissions into the price of electricity, in accordance with the provisions of the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 81/2019. The total amount of state aid for 2019 was 399,437,091.82 lei for a number of 34 enterprises, respectively 637,623,005.80 lei for a number of 33 enterprises in 2020.

Autor: Bogdan Tudorache

Active in the economic and business press for the past 26 years, Bogdan graduated Law and then attended intensive courses in Economics and Business English. He went up to the position of editor-in-chief since 2006 and has provided management and editorial policy for numerous economic publications dedicated especially to the community of foreign investors in Romania. From 2003 to 2013 he was active mainly in the financial-banking sector. He started freelancing for Energynomics in 2013, notable for his advanced knowledge of markets, business communities and a mature editorial style, both in Romanian and English.