Today, the Act of December 14, 2018 on the promotion of electricity from high-efficiency cogeneration comes into force. This Act gives a new mechanism to support electricity producers in high-efficiency cogeneration. It will be based on cogeneration bonuses (cogeneration premium added to electricity).
All cogeneration units must be units that meet the criterium of high-efficiency cogeneration, specified in the Energy Law. In addition, the unitary emission factor for cogeneration units must be at a level not higher than 450 kg per 1 MWh of energy produced. The system will qualify units based mainly on gaseous fuels, including agricultural biogas and other types of biogas, with simultaneous use of the generated heat for usable purposes.
In the case of renewable energy based installations, the support level of up to PLN 90 / MWh was introduced by amending the Act on Renewable Energy Sources. The amendment introduced an upward adjustment of the reference prices previously determined for RES simultaneously meeting the criteria of high-efficiency cogeneration.
In the case of non-renewable sources, the level of possible cogeneration premium will be specified in the executive acts (ordinances) to the Act.
The Act extinguished the high-efficiency cogeneration support system operating until 31 December 2018 based on certificates of origin (yellow certificates, purple certificates, red certificates).