1)
RES
Investors are dissatisfied with amendments to the Law on Preservation of
Agricultural Land
Investors in renewable energy sources (RES) remain dissatisfied with
the proposed amendments to the Law on Preservation of Agricultural Land, it
became clear during a business breakfast, organized by representatives of the
business,
Focus
news
agency reporter announced. This week the amendments connected with construction
of
renewable
energy facilities on agricultural lands are expected to be voted on second
reading.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Svetlana Boyanova explained that RES are
proposed to be built on agricultural land which is first to fourth category,
provided that this land is included in the national plan for renewable energy,
which is not yet ready. The first draft of the changes provided that there would
be no construction and / or expansion of facilities for electricity production
from RES on agricultural land from first to fourth category. Therefore Boyanova
pointed out that the adjustments proposed to the amendments are aimed to achieve
a balance of interests. However,
RES
investors are of another opinion.
This law is to discriminate against RES said Nicola Gazdov of the
Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association. According to him, the law will be returned
for revision from Brussels. There is over 10% of bare land, he
added.
Svetlana Boyanova replied that in its present version, the Bill is
not discriminatory.
"Production of renewable energy in our country is chaotic; we do not
know what the facilities are and where they are situated. We will comply with
the planning”, she said. Currently, there is no concept of what should be
planned for renewables. She wanted to know where exactly the discrimination in
the Bill was.
Production of renewable energy is minimal, Nicola Gazdov said on his
part, adding that he saw discrimination in the fact that a ban was to be imposed
on renewable energy sources only.
“If I want
to build a space-ground, there will be no any restrictions, but as far as RES is
concerned – there are”,
he
said.
GERB MP Emil Dimitrov, deputy chairman of the Committee on
Agriculture and Forestry in the National Assembly, said he does not accept the
harsh words regarding discrimination.
"If we go down that road, this would mean going to confrontation with
the farmers. Agricultural land is one of the greatest treasures of Bulgaria.
Nobody so far has told you that you would not continue with your projects. All
projects in the procedure will be able to be completed, even if they are
connected with this category of land. If you can come up with a constructive
proposal on how to make bare lands cultivated, you will be of great help to us.
I doubt that a very small portion of land from first to fourth category is
uncultivated land”, Dimitrov said. Recently RES are located in areas of
1000-1500 acres of fertile land, Stoil Dudulov said, head of department on
“Conservation activities concerning agricultural lands” in the Ministry of
Agriculture and Foods.
2)
RES
investors remain dissatisfied, their freedom is being
restricted
Investors
in renewable energy express certain reserves regarding the proposed amendments
in the Law on Preservation of Agricultural Lands.
The amendments connected with the construction of RES facilities on
agricultural lands are expected to be voted this week on second
reading.
The agricultural ministry proposes that they should be built on
agricultural land from first to fourth category, provided that this land is
included in the national plan on RES, which, however, has not been completed
yet. As according to Nicola Gazdov from the Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association,
the law in the way it has been prepared now is discriminatory and he assumes
that sanctions will follow from Brussels.
Deputy Minister Svetlana Boyanova is of the opinion that RES
production in our country in chaotic and further planning is needed. She wanted
to know where exactly they detected discrimination in the
bill.
RES production is very small, Nicola Gazdov remarked, on his part,
adding that discrimination is in the fact that restriction is imposed concerning
RES only. “If I want to build a space-ground, there will be no any restrictions,
but as far as RES is concerned – there are”, he said.
Emil Dimitrov, deputy chairman of the Commission on Agriculture and
Forests in the National Assembly rejected the assertion of the
Association.
"If we go down that road, this would mean going to confrontation with
the farmers. Agricultural land is one of the greatest treasures of Bulgaria.
Nobody so far has told you that you would not continue with your projects. All
projects in the procedure will be able to be completed, even if they are
connected with this category of land. If you can come up with a constructive
proposal on how to make bare lands cultivated, you will be of great help to us.
I doubt that a very small portion of land from first to fourth category is
uncultivated land”, Dimitrov said.
3)
There is
no absolute ban on constructing RES on fertile lands if they are included in the
plan
The absolute ban concerning the development of RES facilities on
lands which are included in 1st – up to 4th category is not applicable any more
if the agricultural lands are included in the national plan for RES development.
This is one of the most substantial changes in the amendments in the Law on
Preservation of Agricultural Lands, the Minister of Agriculture, Svetlana
Boyanova, said. She opened the first business breakfast related to amendments in
the law. The other change in the Bill concerns investors. All projects that are
in the process of RES construction on fertile land, even if they are in their
earliest stage, shall be completed, Emil Dimitrov said, who is deputy chairman
of the Commission on Agriculture in the National Assembly.
The amendments in the law are discriminatory with regard to renewable
energy sources, Nicola Gazdov from the Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association
stated. According to him, our country does not take into regard in its own
interests, as up to the year 2020 we should reach 20% of RES energy production.
The Bill has been introduced in the National Assembly. The members of parliament
are to accept the changes on second reading.
4)
RES-business: Changes to the Law on Agricultural Lands are
discriminatory
The proposed amendments to the Law on Preservation of Agricultural
Lands have a discriminatory attitude towards renewable energy sources and this
drives back investors. If confirmed in its present form, there is
real
danger of the bill to be returned for revision from Brussels.
This was the
view expressed by Nikola Gazdov of the Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association during
a business breakfast, which was held at the Sheraton Hotel, regarding the
amendments to the Law on Preservation of Agricultural
Land.
The amendments are going to be voted on second reading in parliament
this week concerning the construction of renewable energy facilities on
agricultural land.
According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Svetlana Boyanova, the
RES sector must be developed after a comprehensive concept and if changes to
agricultural lands are made, they must be connected to special needs
only.
Boyanova dwelled on the new proposal in the Bill for RES to be built
on agricultural land from first to fourth category, provided that the land is
included in the national plan for RES, the Bulgarian Telegraphic Agency
informed. Thus a
balance of
interests is achieved by introducing these adjustments, she said. Preparation of
the plan, however, is slow and this creates many difficulties, the business
representatives remarked.
Emil Dimitrov, member of GERB and Deputy Chairman of the Committee on
Agriculture and Forestry in the National Assembly said that
he would
call for very strict regulation, so that no conditions for corruption are
created.
He said also that the land from first to fourth category makes up 45
per cent of the total land and asked what exactly was the problem with building
RES facilities on the remaining 55 per cent of agricultural
land.
If you have any constructive proposal on how to make bare land
arable, you will be of great help to us, Mr. Dimitrov appealed to business
representatives. But he doubted that a very small part of the land from first to
fourth category is bare.
Renewable energy sources (RES) will be able to
be constructed
on forest
lands, after changing their purpose of use, Dimitrov added. Amendment would also
apply to construction of power lines and provisions will be made for changing
the status of woodless areas only.
A
working group has been created to the Agricultural Commission, which deals with
amendments to the Bill. “I cannot say when it will be ready, it is in the
process of preparation”, Dimitrov added.
A
controversial point in it is whether it will be prohibited to construct RES in
fertile lands from category I to IV.
Recent amendments to the bill, which was approved on first reading by
the leading parliamentary committees on economy and agriculture, state that
construction of renewable facilities will be allowed, provided that they are set
in special plans, developed by the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism
(MEET).
These plans will show the lands where renewable energy facilities can
be constructed. It is not yet clear when exactly these plans will be
made.
The legal committee to the Parliament rejected the Bill for the
protection of agricultural land in its first reading on the grounds that the
bill does not have a clear purpose. MPs urged the
agriculture ministry to decide if it wants to preserve land or to
help energy investors.
The first
amendment to the Law on Protection of Agricultural Lands provided
for
full
moratorium on construction of RES in the most fertile lands. After a scandal
between investors and farmers the law was reformulated - from prohibitive, it
became permissive,
Dnevnik
newspaper
recalled.
For the period 2007-2009,
1900
applications
were
submitted
for the
construction of renewable energy parks, which would extend on 11 643 acres, out
of which 5345 acres would be on I to IV category land. Since the beginning of
this year, 714 requests have been submitted for 15,000 acres, this includes 6437
acres for category I to IV, as according to data of the Ministry of
Agriculture.
According to experts of the agriculture ministry, at the
moment
RES are
located in areas of 1000-1500 acres of fertile land.