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Thursday, 28.03.2024, 10:11
Estonian official: nobody objecting to EU’s CO2 limit on power plant subsidies
Ando Leppiman, deputy secretary general for energy at the Estonian Ministry of Economic
Affairs and Communications, said that member states don't object to the
Commission's recent proposal for a carbon dioxide limit for capacity
mechanisms of 550 grams per kilowatt-hour.
"Yes. Nobody is objecting to the target as such. The issue is rather
how it can be managed," he said, responding to a question if the
presidency was still working with the 550g CO2 per kWh limit.
"The Estonian presidency represents the interests of all member states
and has to find the proper balance between them. We have proposed a compromise
that there should be a limit on the number of working hours when the capacity
mechanisms can occur," Leppiman said.
He said that could lead to an even better result in terms of emissions, but
it will also preserve the strategic importance of the reserves.
"This our current proposal, but the question is further discussed in the
Council working group. This is one of the most political issues and there is no
easy solution," the official added.
The 550 gram emissions performance standard rule proposed by the European
Commission in November as part of the Clean Energy Package implies that newer,
more efficient gas and coal fired power plants would still be able to obtain
subsidies. The rule would apply instantly to all new generating capacities and
to older capacities five years later.