Brussels, 6 May 2024
The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a Belgian green energy certificate scheme aimed at supporting renewable electricity production in the Belgian region of Wallonia. The program will contribute to the achievement of the EU’s energy and climate objectives as well as the strategic objectives linked to the European Green Deal.
Under this scheme, renewable electricity producers receive green energy certificates which they can sell on the market (or to the local Belgian transmission system operator, Elia, at a guaranteed minimum price) and thus obtain additional revenue on top of the market price of electricity.
The scheme supports a wide range of green technologies, including photovoltaics, wind power, hydropower, solid biomass, biogas and biomethane, as well as geothermal energy. The number of certificates that a producer obtains per MWh of renewable electricity produced is administratively set on the basis of reference values revised annually by the Walloon authorities. The estimated maximum budget of the scheme for the period 2024-2028 amounts to €755 million. Certificates are issued over a period of 10 to 25 years, depending on technology, and the system will last until March 31, 2028.
The Commission assessed the scheme in the light of Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows Member States to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions, in accordance with the 2022 guidelines on state aid for climate, environmental protection and energy. The Commission considered that the Belgian regime was necessary and appropriate to facilitate the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal. Furthermore, the Commission concluded that the scheme is proportionate, given that the aid will be limited to the minimum necessary and will not have undue negative effects on competition in the EU. On this basis, the Commission authorized the Belgian scheme under EU state aid rules.
The non-confidential version of the decision will be published under number SA.63176 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website, once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.
Source – EU Commission (trasnslated from French by Google Translate