- While editing this article, the full extent and the exact wording of the amendments to the Austrian Green Energy Act, which is at the core of RES-E support, could not be foreseen. However, the main ideas of the first draft as issued by the Austrian Minister of Economics and Labour Affairs are outlined and evaluated below.
- For a short overview compare E-Control, Electridty Market Liberalization in Austria—The First Experience, Working Paper No 2 (2002).
- Official Gazette I 143/1998.
- Official Gazette I 121/2000.
- For more detailed information on the legal framework see Pauger, “Die Neuordnung der Elektrizitätswirtschaft in Österreich—Auf dem Weg von der Stromversorgung zum Strommarkt’ (1998) ÖZW 97 (in German).
- It is estimated that the past reductions of grid tariffs amount to a total of €250 million (Die Presse, 18 September 2004).
- Official Gazette I 149/2002.
- See Lausegger and Pichler, ‘Nationale Umweltschutzmaßnahmen im liberalisierten europäischen Strommarkt—Die Ber ücksichtigung ökologischer Aspekte im E1WOG’ (2001) Recht der Umwelt 43 (in German).
- Directive 2001/77/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 September 2001 on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market, OJ 2001 L 283/33.
- For a detailed analysis see Korinek, ‘Das neue Ökostromgesetz’ (2002) ecolex 730 (in German).
- Photovoltaic power plants, wind power plants, geothermal power plants, solid biomass and waste with large biogenic fraction power plants, fuels including biogenic wastes power plants, liquid biomass power plants, biogas power plants sewage and landfill gas power plants.
- Unlike all other RES-E, energy produced by photovoltaic plants is only supported up to a nationwide installed capacity of 15 MW. This threshold was met on 27 March 2003.
- See n 9 above.
- The authors have refrained from laying down the regulations of GEA 2002 concerning the promotion of CHP plants, as the current proposal does not deal with this issue. The current promotion strategy for CHP mainly consists in the granting of a premium per injected kWh genuinely produced by CHP generation.
- GEA2002, s 19(1).
- From the authors’ point of view the appointment of the three transmission system operators as Eco-Balance Group Representatives is widely incomprehensible as this appointment is at odds with the core principle of the liberalisation process—the unbundling principle.
- Official Gazette II 508/2002.
- GEA 2002, s 11(2).
- GEA 2002, s 21(1).
- GEA 2002, s 16(2).
- E-Control, Annual Green Energy Report (2004), p 81.
- E-Control, Official expert opinion on the support fees for SHP and “new” RES in 2004’ (2004) 18 (in German).
- Verordnung des Bundesministers für Wirtschaft und Arbeit, mit der F örderbeiträge zur Abgeltung von Mehraufwendungen der Ökobilanzgruppenverantwortlichen f ür das Jahr 2004 bestimmt werden, Official Gazette II 135/2004.
- It is essential not to mistake these support tariffs (Unterstützungstarife) paid by every consumer to the Eco-Balance Group Representatives for the feed-in tariffs paid out by the latter to RES-E producers.
- The support fee for CHP is fixed within the GEA, GEA 2002, s 22 (3).
- E-Control, Annual Green Energy Report (2004), p 9 (in German).
- This decision-making process has to be seen against the background of the genesis of the GEA 2002; the provinces were only willing to transfer their constitutional responsibilities in the area of RES-E promotion to the federal legislator if a suspensive veto were to be retained in this crucial issue.
- This decision-making process has also been criticised from a constitutional law perspective; the result of this procedure is that provincial governors may influence or at least delay the decision of the Austrian Minister of Economics and Labour Affairs. Compare Mayer, ‘Das Ökostromgesetz’, in Mayer (ed), Hauptfragen des Österreichischen Elektrizitätsrechts (2003), p 49 at 59.
- With the exception of SHP, as the certificate system ceases to exist and generators had to bring their contracts in line with the actual support scheme (GEA 2002, s 30(8)).
- We have not delineated these support schemes, which mainly consist in investment aids granted by provincial or regional public entities. However, these promotion initiatives do not play a major role in the assessment of the Austrian RES policy as a whole.
- It has recently been reported that the European Commission directed an (informal) enquiry to The Ministry of Economics and Labour Affairs, see Die Presse, 6 October 2004.
- E-Control, Annual Green Energy Report (June 2004), p 93, www.e-control.at.
- GEA 2002, s 7(6).
- E-Control, Annual Green Energy Report (2004), p 64 (in German).
- Ibid, at 97.
- E-Control, ‘Zur Bestimmung der Förderbeiträge für Kleinwasserkraft und sonstige Ökoanlagen für 2005’ (2004) (in German).
- This decision was also obviously influenced by the fact that the local utilities own a large part of the supported RES-E plants.
- Proposal I, s 14.
- Proposall, s 14(8).
- Proposal I, s 14(7).
- The German term Inbetriebnahme merely means a putting into operation. However, it is not clear whether a partial activation of the plant will suffice.
- Proposal I, ss 25a-25h.
- Proposal I, s 21a.
- Proposal I, s 21b.
- Proposal I, 25a (2).
- Except for wind power with a price cap of 6.9 € cent per kWh.
- Proposal I, s 25a(4). This means that the (maximum) feed-in tariffs will be reduced from the outset, as it is rather unlikely that there will be any tender procedures in 2004.
- All statements can be found on the Parliament's website: www.parlament.gv.at/pls/portal/url/page/PG/DE/XXII/ME/ME_00184 (in German).
- Proposal I, s 22a(l) 1.
- Council Directive 93/38/EEC of 14June 1993 coordinating the procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and telecommunications sectors, OJ 1993 L 199/84 (Austria is still in the process of transposing Directive 2004/17/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 coordinating the procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors, OJ 2004 L 134/1, into national law.
- See, inter alia, Mitchell, ‘The England and Wales Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation: History and Lessons’ (2000) Annu Rev Energy Environment 285 (295f).
- Proposal II, s 11(1).
- It is unclear at this stage whether the Federal Chamber of the Austrian Parliament (Bundesrat) will accept this proposal.
- Proposal II, s 22a.
- Proposal II, Section 10.4, s 25g.
- Proposal II, s 19(1).
- Proposal II, s 22a.
- Proposal II, s 25c.
Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law
Volume 23, 2005 - Issue 2: Renewables