Regulator should decide to grid-connection - BGWEA

(ADPnews) - Dec 21, 2010 - Bulgaria's Wind Energy Association (BGWEA) insists that the decision for connecting new renewable energy capacities to the grid should be taken by the country's regulator, the State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (SEWRC), not by the operator NEK.

Under the most recent draft amendment of the renewable energy sources (RES) law, unveiled several days ago by the economy ministry, power distribution companies should notify NEK each year of new green power capacities they plan to put on stream. As such, the state-held company will play a crucial role in determining the annual limit for hooking renewable energy units to its transmission and distribution network.

"We believe it is important that authorities in charge of making decisions on the new renewable energy law are not involved in a conflict of interest. This means that the regulator is probably the more appropriate body to decide, because it is not an investor on the market," Sebastian Noethlichs, BGWEA's executive director, said. Another option is to create a panel of industry representatives which is to decide which power units to be added to the grid, Noethlichs added.

Several days ago, NEK announced plans to invest in the construction of a solar park and a wind farm, which raised concerns among private investors over possible conflict of interest. Meanwhile, the company has decided to defer connecting to the grid new renewable energy sources by at least the summer of 2011, which will affect a minimum 20 projects of companies from the association.

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