Thanks to lobbying from interested groups, the Ministry of Economy has done a U-turn in the system of subsidising the use of solar panels. This comes after the government discussed and consulted a fresh proposal with experts about subsidies for the residential segment.
The decision means that people in houses will be entitled to the same subsidy of EUR 200/m2 applied to date, instead of it being reduced to just EUR 100, as was the initial plan. The subsidy for blocks of flats will be set at EUR 100/m2, with a maximum cap set at 3m2 per flat.
Biomass boilers are also to be subsidised, with the Ministry’s subsidy covering up to 30% of costs (maximum of EUR 1,000) per application for the purchase of a biomass boiler.
Together with other subsidies for the mining industry, the SME segment and industrial production, the Ministry has earmarked around EUR 18 million until the end of 2013.
The Ministry will now present the new law dealing with the matter to parliament and it is expected to come into force in May this year at the earliest.