Policies

Green Certificate Scheme - Federal

Source: JOIN IEA/IRENA Policy and Measures Database
Last updated: 5 January 2018

The Royal Decree on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources was adopted in July 2002 and came into force 1 July 2003. It addresses two fundamental issues: first, it sets the conditions for issuing green certificates by the federal regulator (CREG) for offshore wind energy production, and second, it states that the grid operator is obliged to buy green certificates issued anywhere in Belgium at minimum prices of: 

  • EUR 107/MWh for offshore wind energy (for installations with a financial close before 1/5/2014) for energy produced by first installed capacity up to 216 MW for each concession, and EUR 90/MWh for additional capacity, and at minimum prices equal to LCOE – [reference price of electricity – correction factor] for installations with a financial close after 1/5/2014 and before 30/4/2016, with LCOE = 138 EUR/MWh (129,80 EUR/MWh for installations covered by the domanial concession granted to Rentel SA/NV, 124,00 EUR/MWh for installations covered by the domanial concession granted to Norther SA/NV, amount to be defined for installations with a financial close after 22/2/2017); 
  • EUR 20/MWh for ocean energy (namely wave and tidal); 
  • Other obligations related to buying green certificates have been deleted by the Royal Decree of 21/12/2012. Only green certificates delivered to PV installations commissioned before 1/8/2012 can benefit from a minimum purchase price obligation of up to 150 EUR/MWh. 

By virtue of a Royal Decree of 20 December 2000, last modified by the Royal Decree of 20 March 2014, the Minister for Energy from now on can deliver domanial concessions for the construction and the exploitation of installations of electricity production, generated from water, currents or winds, in the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone of Belgium. The decree in question determinates precisely the zone where the installations may be set up. It also specifies the criteria of granting and the procedure by which the concessions are being issued.

The Programme law of July 2005 called for the mandatory contribution by national transmission service operators (TSO) of up to EUR 25 million worth of undersea cables for each concession granted before 1/1/2007. For installations under concessions granted after 1/1/2007 with a financial close between 2/5/2014 and 31/12/2016 may also benefit from this contribution provided that they are authorized not to be connected to the transmission network in the in the marine areas under Belgium's jurisdiction. This is not applicable to Installations under concessions granted after 1/1/2007 with a financial close after 31/12/2016, which are to be connected to the transmission network through the “Modular Offshore Grid”.

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