Estonia notified its intention to amend its current support scheme for electricity produced from renewable sources and efficient co-generation. The new modified scheme, with a budget of around €450 million, will be applicable for 10 years from the date of this decision. Renewables installations benefitting from the scheme will receive support in the form of a premium on top of the electricity market price. The premium will be set through a competitive bidding process and cannot be higher than the difference between the average production cost for each renewable technology and the electricity market price. A view to reach Estonia’s renewable targets in a cost-efficient manner, the modified scheme will allow Estonia to organise multi-technology tenders. Compared to the existing scheme, tenders will not only be organised for new renewable installations, but also for existing power plants intending to switch from fossil fuel to biofuel as a result of the support. This aims at incentivizing a fuel switch from fossil fuel to renewables thus helping reducing CO₂ emissions.
Aid is also proportionate and limited to the minimum necessary, as it only covers the negative difference between the market price of electricity and the production costs. In this respect, the scheme ensures that this will be case even if market prices rise unexpectedly. Estonian measure is in line with EU State aid rules, as it promotes the generation of electricity from renewable sources, in line with the European Green Deal, without unduly distorting competition.