France promotes electricity produced by combined heat and power plants
The French scheme on energy it’s been approved by the EU Comission after concluding that it will increase the electricity generated from renewable sources while reducing CO2 emissions and pollution. This scheme it takes into account the market competition by limiting the distortions triggered by the state support.
This programme will help France to reach its energy efficiency and CO2 emission reduction targets by supporting the deployment of around 7 MW of additional generation capacity. High efficiency combined heat and power units provide at least 10% primary energy savings as compared to units that produce heat and electricity separately.
Only small installations can benefit from feed-in tariffs, whilst larger installations will receive support through a premium, i.e. a top-up on the market price, which exposes them to market signals. The scheme will also support the refurbishing of existing plants, for example to increase their efficiency or extend their operational lifetime.
Further information on the EU Commission website.
