The energy-intensive industry will have a new state aid scheme to support it with a total budget of 150 million euros per year, payable in two annual installments instead of a single one, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja told a briefing at the end of Thursday's government meeting.
"What I have also argued in the Energy Council meeting in Brussels is that, given the difference between electricity prices on the European market to those in the United States or China, staying competitive is extremely difficult, especially for energy-intensive industries which have high costs for electricity or gas. This is also the conclusion of the Draghi report. The Energy Ministry has striven - and last year, in the end, it succeeded in securing the European Commission's approval for a state aid scheme dedicated to the energy-intensive sector through which exemptions are granted from the payment of green certificates and, depending on certain NACE codes, energy-intensive enterprises are cleared from paying 75% or 85% of the costs related to these green certificates," Burduja said.
According to him, the total budget of the scheme is 578.4 million euros, "the annual aid does not exceed 150 million euros and the estimated number of beneficiaries is 200."
The Energy minister stressed that on Thursday, another state aid scheme for the energy-intensive industry was approved, based on Ordinance No. 138/2022.
"Today's modification, as requested by the industry, is that it allows the payment of this support in two annual installments instead of a single annual installment. So, it is also a form of support for large, energy-intensive industries," he added.
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