The plan to limit subsidies for companies with large solar parks in Flanders has been delayed by at least several months.
The Flemish Minister of Energy, Hans Bonte, confirmed the delay to the newspaper De Tijd following claims made by sources close to the matter.
The proposal by the socialist party Vooruit aims to halt subsidies more quickly when excessive electricity production causes negative prices on the power grid. Currently, subsidies are stopped only after prices remain negative for six hours, but the party seeks to shorten this period to just one hour.
According to Vooruit, this change could save approximately €290 million from electricity bills during the current legislative term. These savings come from reducing costs linked to renewable energy certificates, which are added to electricity bills.
However, the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency has launched a new study to evaluate the proposal. It is believed that concerns raised by the Council of State prompted this decision.
The study is expected to be completed no earlier than summer, delaying the implementation of the measure, initially planned for April.
