RES facilities operating for over 20 years will be compensated for output absorbed by the grid at System Marginal Prices, according to a ministerial decision signed by energy minister Giorgos Stathakis.

The SMP-level payment term will also apply for RES units past longer 27-year supply contracts offered as a result of tariff reductions they were subjected to through the new deal.

These units will need to hold new and valid licenses for the SMP-level payements.

According to sources, a legislative revision will soon be made specifying new licensing procedures for RES facilities past these 20 and 27 year periods.

The country’s first wind energy park, a 10-MW facility installed on Crete by the firm Rokas, was launched in May, 1998 on a 20-year supply contract. Its supply agreement is set to expire next month.