The government will discuss the bill on the use of wind energy in the Black Sea at a meeting on Thursday. In the current version of the draft law, no later than the end of March 2025, the Government will approve a list of offshore wind perimeters, which can be transferred to a concession, determined by topographical coordinates, based on the submission of the Ministry of Energy.

State aid for the construction of marine power plants

The concession perimeters and the concession calendar are established in agreement with the transmission and system operator and are defined in such a way as to ensure the transmission of energy produced by offshore wind farms efficiently and with the lowest costs under the conditions of connection of tariffs and grid tariffs.

The Department of Energy can provide government assistance in the form of a support scheme for the construction or operation of offshore wind farms.

The condition for receiving state aid is the commissioning of power plants within a maximum period of 8 years from the date of conclusion of the concession agreement.

Deadlines for approval of procedures / The concession period is 30 years with an extension of 10 years

By June 30, 2025, the Government approves, at the request of the Ministry of Energy, separate rules for concession procedures for offshore wind power plants in the amount of

royalties and commissions, and a support scheme where appropriate.

Construction projects within the offshore wind concession perimeters can only be carried out with a development approval issued by the Competent Authority for the Regulation of Offshore Petroleum Operations in the Black Sea (ACROPO).

The concession contract is concluded for a period of no more than 30 years with the possibility of a one-time extension for no more than 10 years.

The holder of the concession contract is a financial guarantee for the quality performance of the contract, including in case of cancellation of projects, as well as for the elimination of losses.

caused by the environment, the size of which is established by the Government’s decision until June 30, 2025.

During the concession period, concessionaires have the right to explore the offshore wind perimeter for a maximum period of 2 years from the date of signing the concession contract, with the right to extend for a maximum period of 6 months, for justified reasons and with the consent of the granting authority.

An exploration permit is granted to the concessionaire by the Ministry of Energy after the conclusion of the concession agreement. The methodology for granting exploration permits was approved by the order of the Minister of Energy until June 30, 2025.

By December 31, 2024 at the latest, NARE is obliged to issue rules on granting permits for the installation of offshore wind power plants.

As part of the plans for the development of the energy transportation network, developed from January 1, 2025, Transelectrica provides the development of system studies to analyze the potential impact of large volumes of offshore wind energy on the national energy system.

What taxes will the owners of concession contracts pay

Concession contract holders will pay an annual fee for the concession area, which will vary between exploration and construction periods. The royalty is established when concluding a concession contract for the research, construction and operation of an offshore wind power plant in the percentage amount established by the Government’s decision until June 30, 2025.

Royalties received from the concession are income as follows:

a) 10% to the local budget of the county, on the territory of which the exploitation activity is carried out or the structure affected by exploitation;

b) 10% to the local budget of the commune, city or municipality, on the territory of which the exploitation activity is carried out or the structure affected by exploitation;

c) 80% to the state budget.

Also, the owners of concession contracts will pay the tax for the use of wind resources to the state budget, approved by the Government’s resolution, until June 30, 2025.

The fee for operational activity is established for the area of ​​the built perimeter of the concession and for the area occupied by the underwater electric cables connected to the connection points.