Romania's government has decided to require local gas producers to sell part of
their output on the country's commodity market as of July 1, minister delegate
for energy Razvan Nicolescu said.
As of the beginning of next year,
suppliers of natural gas too will be required to sell part of it, including part
of imports, on the commodity market, Nicolescu told reporters on Wednesday,
after the government approved a list of measures affecting the local energy
industry. A video file with his statement was posted on the government's
website.
In the next few days, the country's energy regulator, ANRE, will
determine the exact amounts that the companies will be required to trade on the
bourse.
The local market and consumers are expected to benefit from this
move, which is part of Romania's stand-by agreement with International Monetary
Fund and the other international lenders, Nicolescu added.
The government
also decided to exempt large electricity consumers from payment for part of the
green certificates they are required to purchase. If the support scheme obtains
the approval of the European Commission, it could be applied to around 300
industrial consumers over a period of 10 years, according to
Nicolescu.
Romania's government has also approved a plan to scrap the
cogeneration tax on electricity exports as of July 1 in a bid to back local
power producers.
Commenting on the decision on Thursday, Raiffeisen Bank
said it could boost exports, and possibly have a positive impact on prices. The
government's decision is good news for the shares of investment fund Fondul
Proprietatea [BSE:FP] and nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica [BSE:SNN],
both blue chips, as well as for energy holding Oltenia, Raiffeisen Bank said in
a note to investors.
The cogeneration tax is paid by final energy
consumers and goes to cogeneration plants, which produce electricity and thermal
energy simultaneously. The tax, which accounts in average for some 2.0%-3.0% of
the value of electricity bills, was introduced in 2011 and will be applied until
2023.