Slovenia adopts emergency energy package – EURACTIV.com
The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a package of three laws aimed at ensuring a stable supply of electricity and gas this winter, the latest in a long series of measures to tackle the energy crisis.
The basis of the package is the Law on Measures for the Management of Crisis Situations in the Energy Supply, which will allow the government to entrust the reliable supply of energy to state-owned enterprises.
In the worst case, the management and coordination of individual parts of the system would be entrusted to the national network operator ELES.
The government will be able to declare a high-risk situation where power plants and cogeneration plants could switch fuels, for example from natural gas to diesel, without having to obtain a new environmental permit.
It also provides a legal basis for the government to prescribe maximum or minimum temperatures in public buildings and lighting.
According to Minister of Infrastructure Bojan Kumer, the amendments to the law on gas supply will ensure that no customer will be left without gas if his supplier closes shop.
In addition to households, kindergartens, primary schools and health centers, other so-called protected users will almost automatically be taken over by replacement suppliers if their original supplier fails.
The third part of the package is the guarantee scheme for the state electricity producers GEN Energija and HSE and the gas pipeline Geoplin.
The guarantees will cover purchases of gas and electricity outside the EU, with the HSE guarantee limited to EUR 800 million of principal, and GEN Energija and Geoplin to EUR 400 million.
While the legislation was passed without a dissenting vote, part of the opposition abstained from voting on the grounds that broader measures needed to be implemented.
One opposition party submitted an amendment that would require domestic electricity producers to sell 90% of their production to Slovenian consumers at a slightly higher price than production. This idea was rejected by the coalition as a violation of EU free market rules.
(Sebastijan R. Maček | sta.si)