RES producers have reacted against news of an energy ministry intention to  reduce a weighted variable cost for conventional thermal power plants, a surcharge injected into the RES special account.

This surcharge accumulates an annual sum of approximately 60 million euros, vital for the RES special account and payments to RES producers.

This latest RES-supporting surcharge reduction plan follows a recent reduction of an ETMEAR surcharge paid by consumers through electricity bills, implemented to help offset tariff hikes at PPC, the state-controlled power utility.

The ETMEAR surcharge reduction will deprive the RES special account of roughly 200 million euros, annually, RAE (Regulatory Authority for Energy) official Nektaria Karakatsani has estimated.

The RES special account will also have to do without a further annual amount of roughly 60 million euros following a European Commission decision in July reducing CO2 emission right amounts available for auction. Greece must withdraw 4 million tons of CO2 emission rights.

RES producers fear these developments could prompt a RES special account regression into deficit territory and affect payments made by DAPEEP, the RES market operator, for their output.

A recent SPEF (Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Energy Producers) study forwarded to deputy energy minister Gerassimos Thomas warns of difficult payment conditions ahead for RES producers as a result of looming RES special account problems.