The government of Republika Srpska has responded to widespread abuse of the solar power tariff by introducing a spacing rule for photovoltaic installations of up to 150 kilowatts, according to the business portal Akta. The government in Banja Luka intends to amend the Renewable Energy Act accordingly, so that installations wishing to receive a state-guaranteed and regulated feed-in tariff must maintain a set distance.
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The background to the change is the applicable tariffs. In Republika Srpska, installations of up to 150 kilowatts receive the guaranteed feed-in tariff for 15 years, while larger installations do not. Developers have responded by splitting large installations into several smaller generators, the explanatory memorandum to the law refers to 20 to 50, each kept just under the threshold to claim the tariff per unit. In reality, these are large solar parks running into the multi-megawatt range, and their operators also sidestep the concession fees that apply to larger installations, since installations of 150 kilowatts require no concession at all. Permits are issued by municipalities under their own local regulations.
Tariff only for finished installations
At the same time, the government of Republika Srpska is changing access to the feed-in tariff for smaller installations. Until now, investors have been able to reserve support before an installation was even built. Under the new approach, funding will only be granted once an installation has been built and meets the prescribed conditions, according to the portal Sarajevo Energy Forum, a change intended to ensure that support only reaches installations that actually comply with the regulations. The new rules are on the agenda of the next session of the Republika Srpska parliament, though a date has yet to be set. (su)
