Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Europe: Electricity Market Re-Design Could Boost Renewable Energy

MEPs take big step towards energy market reform (Euractiv.com)

European Lawmakers took a step towards new EU electricity market rules on Wednesday (21 February), during a vote on two draft reports by EPP MEP Krišjānis Kariņš that form the tail-end of the European Commission’s 2016 Clean Energy Package.

Industry and energy committee (ITRE) MEPs voted in favour of strict rules for so-called capacity mechanisms, which will no longer be eligible for subsidies as of 2020 for new infrastructure and as of 2025 for existing plants.

Philippe Dumas, European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) Secretary General, said: “The Electricity Market Design is not only about technologies that are market ready today.It must also be about technologies that will be key market components tomorrow. Recognising the special role of innovative technologies such as geothermal systems is crucial for a sound, cost-efficient and renewable based electricity system tomorrow”