New RES-supporting ETMEAR surcharge levels will be decided on today at a RAE (Regulatory Authority for Energy) board meeting. Barring unexpected developments, they will average out to the same amount, based on a preceding decision by energy minister Panos Skourletis that set the percentage of emission right auction revenues injected into the RES special account at 72 percent instead of 60 percent, as had been previously considered.
Energy-intensive industries – all high-voltage operations and medium-voltage operations consuming over 13 GWh a year – are expected to be subject to mild ETMEAR raises, while household consumers should see a small drop in their surcharge levels, energypress sources informed.
The increase for industries will serve as an adjustment that meets EU directives, demanded by Greece’s lenders.
The increased cash inflow to emerge from an additional two percent to be imposed on energy-intensive industries will be utilized to reduce the ETMEAR surcharge being imposed on households.
The EU directives include a provision for an upper limit on additional RES-related charges (the ETMEAR surcharge) paid by energy-intensive enterprises. This limit is 0.5 percent of each enterprise’s added value in cases where electricity consumed exceeds 20 percent of total expenses and 4 percent in cases where electricity consumed exceeds 10 percent of expenses. In order to be implemented, this provision first needs to be endorsed by the EU’s convergence program. Local authorities have submitted the country’s program but it has yet to be endorsed, sources said.