CE Oltenia completes purchase of emission certificates

Alina Oprea

19 April, 2023 at 11:19 AM

The Oltenia Energy Complex, one of the largest energy producers in Romania, announces that it has complied with the compliance obligations, completing the purchase of CO2 certificates related to the energy produced in 2022. For the purchase of certificates related to the year 2022, over €500 million were incurred from the company's own funds.

Purchases of CO2 certificates (EUA) were made on the EEX Primary Market, the EEX Spot Secondary Market, and the Romanian Commodity Exchange.

The price of CO2 certificates has had a spectacular evolution in recent years, registering an increase from €4-5 in 2017, up to over €96 in 2023.

The obligation to purchase all the CO2 certificates appeared after 2013, with the free allocations for the energy sector being stopped. According to the legislative provisions in force, failure to purchase the CO2 certificates related to the previous year, until April 30 of the current year, would have attracted penalties of €100 /certificate in addition to the obligation to purchase them.

"CE Oltenia respected every year the term stipulated by the legislation for compliance with the purchase of the entire amount of CO2 certificates corresponding to the energy produced", the company states.

CE Oltenia will receive from the state budget, as a non-refundable loan, another RON453 million (€90.6 million) for the payment of CO2 certificates this year.

The company has an extensive investment plan through which, in association with Tinmar, Petrom, and Alro Slatina, they must put into operation eight photovoltaic parks and two gas plants.

Last year, the total production from lignite-fired power plants – the vast majority coming from CE Oltenia plants – was 8.8 TWh, out of the total net production of 52.7 TWh.