Renewable Energy Generation Program (GENREN)
The Ministry of Federal Planning, Public Investments and Services launched the Renewable Energy Generation Program (RENGEN) to reach the target of having 8% of total electricity come from renewable sources by 2016, as set-out in Law 26 190 of 2007. The public utility ENARSA will implement tenders for a total of 1000 MW of electricity produced from renewable sources, a process initiated in early 2010, and purchase this electricity according to Power Purchase Agreements valid for a fifteen-year period.
The 1 GW target is technology-split as follow:
- 500 MW are expected to come from wind energy,
- 150 MW: thermal bio-combustion,
- 120 MW: urban waste,
- 100 MW: biomass,
- 60 MW: small-scale hydroelectricity projects,
- 30 MW: geothermal,
- 20 MW: solar and
- 20 MW: biogas.
New projects or repowered existing plants will benefit from an anticipated Value Added Tax return for capital goods purchased. In addition, the government will fix an energy purchase price, calculated on a project-to-project basis, to guarantee a fair return on investment. The project also creates the Fiduciary Fund for Renewable Energy, administered by the National Council for Electricity (CFEE).
The Fund will be financed by a ARS pesos 0.30 /MWh tax on the electricity bill of large distribution and wholesale companies. This fund will then provide a subsidy of ARS pesos 0.9 /kWh to PV producers and ARS pesos 0.015/kWh for facilities up to 30 MW generating electricity from wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and hydro sources.
The law was repealed, with exception of annexes 39 and 40, by article 2 of resolution 202 - e / 2016 of the ministry of energy and mining, b.o. 9/29/2016, page 9.
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