Energy consumers in Romania paid EUR 415.8 million to support renewable energy through the green certificates system, up 33.4 percent increase compared to the level of EUR 310.8 million in 2012, according to the data from the energy authority, quoted by local Ziarul Financiar.

However, the average price of a green certificate dropped by a quarter, from EUR 56 in 2012, to EUR 42 last year.

A total of 9.9 green certificates were traded in 2013, up some 78 percent year-on-year.

The certificates are granted free by the state to the renewable energy producers. Each producer receives a certain number of green certificates from state-owned Transelectrica.

The producers then sell the certificates to suppliers, who are required by law to purchase them, the purpose being for a certain share of the final energy consumption to be provided by renewable sources.

In 2013, renewable energy producers generated over 6,000 GWh of energy, almost double compared to the previous year.

Green energy represents some 20 percent of the total production capacity in Romania.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com