The energy ministry, looking to counter the gradually emerging RES special account deficit, a worrying development, has adopted a holistic approach for structural energy market revisions over a ten-year period and will not limit its actions to patchwork solutions, a leading ministry official has told energypress.

The ministry intends to radically reshape the RES special account’s financing model with the new market conditions in mind. These include the RES sector’s spectacularly increased share of the energy mix, the imminent launch of the target model, the ongoing withdrawals of lignite units, and the gas sector’s bigger role.

The RES-supporting ETMEAR surcharge included in electricity bills as a key funding source for the RES special account was implemented when renewables held just a minor share of the energy mix, the ministry official noted.

“The RES special account’s funding tools and philosophy need to be reexamined given the fact that we are aiming for a RES sector energy mix share of 65 percent,” the official remarked.

According to sources, DAPEEP, the RES market operator, will commission professional services company Grant Thorton to conduct a study examining the factors that influence the RES special account’s cash inflow and costs. RAE, the Regulatory for Energy, has already announced a similar-minded study. The authority is believed to have already received four offers from bidders.

The ministry aims to have received the results of these studies by September or October.

In addition, the ministry has assembled an unofficial working group, advising it to look at the issue from scratch with an all-encompassing approach.