Deputies gave the green light to build renewable energy sources for electricity production for own consumption

Parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Renewable Energy, which provide for easing the regime for the construction of energy facilities for the production of electricity from renewable sources for own consumption. The amendments were adopted at second reading by 109 votes to 11, with 44 abstentions.

The plenary time turned out to be insufficient for the voting of all the texts of the bill and the work will continue at the next sitting. The amendments were introduced by Vladimir Tabutov ("We continue the Change") and a group of MPs.

The bill envisages the introduction of a notification regime in cases where the construction of energy facilities for the production of electricity from renewable sources for own consumption is envisaged. The aim is to speed up the process of building such sites, the statement said.

It is assumed that the end customer will be able to build an energy facility for the production of electricity from renewable sources on roof and facade structures of buildings connected to the electricity transmission, distribution or closed distribution network. As well as on real estate to them in urban areas, the energy from which, however, will be used only for own consumption. The total installed capacity of the energy sites can be up to twice the amount of the provided capacity, but not more than 5 MW, the deputies agreed.

An end customer may import the electricity produced by the energy sites into the respective network only after fulfilling the requirements of the connection procedure as a producer, according to the ordinance under Art. 116, para. 7 of the Energy Act, read the changes.

During the debate in the plenary hall, the MP and former Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova (GERB-UDF) commented that 5 megawatts is the consumption of a city like Vidin, and is offered as own consumption. She identified two risks in case MPs agree on this text. First of all, under the motto that someone will produce electricity for their own consumption, power plants will be built to sell electricity, she commented. The second risk is that at some point there will be a complete misunderstanding of what electricity and how it will enter the network, whether there is a technical possibility and that this will create a technical problem related to system security, Petkova explained.

In response, Vladimir Tabutov ("We continue the Change") pointed out that her concerns were identified and addressed in para. 5, which states that if the owner of this power plant wishes to return or sell electricity in the network, this can be done only after passing the procedure under the Energy Act, which includes all necessary opinions for connection. If this procedure is not initiated, there is no technical possibility for the owner of this power plant to return or sell electricity to the grid. Our wish is not to allow such companies, which under the pretext that they want to use their own electricity, to start selling it later, Tabutov explained.

MRF MP Ramadan Atalay described the law as non-functioning. "There will be no one to build a power plant with a capacity of 5 megawatts, after using 4.2 megawatts, the surplus of what will do," he asked. Atalay, for his part, suggested that the surplus electricity go to the electricity distribution company and reduce the price of the end customer.

The chairman of the parliamentary committee on energy, Radoslav Ribarski from "We continue the change", agreed that this is not without logic. According to him, throughout Europe there is a tendency for producers to be both consumers and sellers of surplus electricity. Fisherman states that the changes are a small step. The next steps will be in this direction - the excess energy to reach the market, but not to put the electricity distribution network to the test. According to Tsoncho Ganev of Vazrazhdane, Ramadan Atalay's proposal is to "upgrade the lobbying bill" of "We Continue Change".