Alina Oprea • 24 March, 2023 at 8:27 AM
The Oltenia Energy Complex, a state-owned energy producer, will receive state aid in the amount of RON449 million (€89.8 million) for the year 2023, from the state budget, to finance expenses with greenhouse gas emissions certificates, according to a Decision approved by the Romanian Government. The company is one of the largest energy producers in Romania. The state aid for restructuring in the form of grants is fully granted from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Energy.
The amount will be used for:
a) the purchase of greenhouse gas emission certificates necessary to fulfill the obligation to return the greenhouse gas emission certificates related to the year 2022, corresponding to the gas emissions from the company's facilities, due on April 30, 2023;
b) the purchase of greenhouse gas emission certificates related to the year 2023, corresponding to the gas emissions from the company's facilities, due on April 30, 2024.
State aid is granted annually, from the state budget, through the budget approved by the Ministry of Energy, within the limits of the approved budget provisions, and is approved by Government decisions.
The amount of state aid is substantiated in accordance with Decision C (2022) 553 final of January 26, 2022, recital (28), according to which the grant of €1,09 billion will finance the purchase of greenhouse gas emission certificates for the period 2021- 2025.
Until now, the Oltenia Energy Complex has received state aid in the form of a grant in the amount of €776.4 million, for the purchase of greenhouse gas emission certificates, as follows:
- €241.4 million, respectively RON1.18 billion, grant granted on the basis of GEO no. 21/2021 for the approval of the granting of a state restructuring aid to the Company "Complexul Energetic Oltenia" SA, with subsequent amendments and additions, for the acquisition of 5,107,273 greenhouse gas emission certificates for compliance in 2020;
- €535 million, respectively RON2,67 billion, grant granted on the basis of GEO no. 21/2022 regarding the establishment of the legal framework for the granting of state aid for the restructuring of the "Complexul Energetic Oltenia" SA Company, approved with amendments and additions by Law no. 185/2022, for the acquisition of 6,859,363 greenhouse gas emission certificates, of which 5,643,476 certificates for compliance in 2021 and 1,215,887 certificates for compliance in 2022.
In addition, the Government also approved a Decision approving the granting of state aid to facilitate the closure of non-competitive coal mines within the insolvent Hunedoara Energy Complex Company for the year 2023.
The normative act provides for the granting of state aid of RON27.242 million (€5.44 million), in 2023, to facilitate the closure of non-competitive coal mines within the insolvent Hunedoara Energy Complex Company.
From this amount, RON20.069 million (€4 million) will be allocated for the Lonea mine and RON7.173 million (€1.43 million) for the Lupeni mine.
At the same time, funds of RON186,000 (€37,000) are allocated for the compensatory payments granted to a number of five employees from the Lonea mine, whose employment contracts are terminated, RON60,000 (€12,000) for the provision of professional retraining services for a number of 12 employees of the Lupeni mine.
RON26.996 million (€5.39 million) are allocated for the recultivation of land areas in the vicinity of the mine, of which RON19.883 million (€3.97 million) for the Lonea mine, an amount that will be used for the recultivation of an area of approximately 463,322 sqm and RON7.113 million (€1.42 million) for the Lupeni mine, an amount that will be used for recultivation of an area of approximately 79,609 sqm.