Since the last federal general elections, held on 13 June 2010, the Belgian federal level still has no ruling coalition. Talks have been going on for 239 days without any perspective for a government to be form in the near future.
Professor in law and minister of state Johan Vande Lanotte lead the discussions for the biggest part. His proposal, which was ultimately not acceptable for the Flemish nationalists and the Flemish Christian-democrats and was substantially questioned by the French-speaking social-democrats and Christian-democrats, was published last week in the French-speaking newspapers Le Soir and La Libre Belgique.
In the field of energy, the proposal aimed at the regionalisation of the setting and supervision of the regulated tariffs for the use of the natural gas and electricity distribution systems. Although the regions are competent for the distribution of electricity, up to now it was the federal regulator that approved the distribution tariffs.
At the request of the Flemish parties, the proposal wanted to implicate the Flemish region in the offshore energy activities. [As from the low water mark, the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone are federal competence.]
The proposal remained a proposal, as in 2007.
Monday, 7 February 2011
Proposals for a constitutional reform – failed but interesting
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
New Flemish government and direct lines, closed distribution systems and private networks
Following the citiworks/Flughafen Halle-Leipzig judgement of the EC Court of Justice (Case C-439/06) and the compromise on the new directives for electricity and natural gas, allowing exemptions for closed distribution systems, the new Flemish Government in the coalition agreement agreed to "pay special attention" to these kinds of private initiatives.
Monday, 17 August 2009
Flemish energy regulator consults the market on proposal for new technical code
The VREG, the Flemish regulator for electricity and natural gas had opened a public consultation on draft amendments to the Flemish electricity and natural gas technical codes.
The proposal aims at:
- Leaving out all reference to direct lines and direct pipelines, and private networks (or closed distribution systems) as these are not yet legally regulated in the Flemish region;
- Submitting all contracts and regulations of the distribution system operators to the review of the VREG;
- Giving sufficient attention to decentralised production;
- Inserting a conciliation procedure.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
New legislation in the Flemish Region
Last Thursday the Flemish Parliament adopted four new energy related Decrees.
- A decree modifying the existing Energy Performance of Buildings Decree of 22 December 2006 (EPB Decree);
- A decree modify the system of renewable energy certificates (green electricity certificates);
- A decree coordinating all the existing decrees on energy (the “Energy Decree”), comprising a new chapter on the application of the EU Emission Trading System/ETS on aviation; and
- A decree on the deep subsoil, aiming at regulating the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons (including Coal Bed Methane, CBM) and possible new initiatives on Carbon Capture and Storage, CCS.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Amendments To Flemish Renewable Energy Support System
The Flemish government submitted a proposal for amendments of the Flemish Electricity Decree aiming at a modified support system for renewable energy. If this proposal will be adopted by parliament, the following system will be applicable as from the entry into force of the decree:
1. PV-installations on domestic buildings that are not properly isolated will not be eligible for green electricity certificates that can be used by electricity suppliers to fulfill their obligations to hand in a number of certificates in relation to the amount of electricity supplied in the preceeding year. Consequently, no minimum support can be given to these certificates.
2. The minimum support that distribution system operators must give to producers of electricity from PV-installations will decrease after 1 January 2010:
350€ in 2010 during 20 years;
330€ in 2011 during 20 years;
310€ in 2012 during 20 years (and an evaluation of the non-performing peak);
290€ in 2013 during 15 years (unless otherwise decided by the Flemish government);
250€ in 2014 during 15 years;
210€ in 2015 during 15 years (and an evaluation of the non-performing peak);
170€ in 2016 during 15 years (unless otherwise decided by the Flemish government);
130€ in 2017 during 15 years;
90€ in 2018 during 15 years (and an evaluation of the non-performing peak);
50€ in 2019 during 15 years (unless otherwise decided by the Flemish government);
10€ in 2020 during 15 years.
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
New Flemish Energy Minister
Tomorrow, 28 June, Hilde Crevits will be sworn in as the new Flemish Energy Minister. Crevits was Alderman inter alia for utilities and energy in the City of Torhout. She was also recently appointed as member of the board of directors of Distrigas as a representative of Publigas.
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Abundance of new regulation
- The Royal Decree of 8 June 2007 on the tariffs for the use of the gas transmission system, the LNG-terminal and the storage facilities;
- The Royal Decree of 8 June 2007 on the tariffs for the use of new gas transmission facilities, LNG-terminal facilities and storage facilities;
- The Royal Decree of 8 June 2007 setting the amounts for the financing of the CREG;
- The Ministerial Decree of 30 March 2007 setting the maximum princes for the supply of natural gas to protected customers;
- The Ministerial Decree of 5 June 2007 approving the by-laws of Apetra;
- The Decree of the Flemish Parliament of 25 May 2007 modifying the Electricity Decree and the Natural Gas Decree.
Since I'm still reading trough these new regulations, I will comment (if necessary) later on this blog.
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