New rules on costs recycling The photovoltaic The Hellenic Recycling Agency sets a minimum financial contribution of EUR 132 per tonne.
The decision opens the way for «thaw» a market that has remained idle for months, but does not automatically solve all problems. On the contrary, it carries in the following period a series of critical unfinished business, from the way in which the retroactive debts were repaid to the control of the companies which brought the frameworks into the Greek market without paying a recycling fee.
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The new amount is not a fee imposed horizontally on each PV park owner nor automatically concerns all electricity producers. EUR 132 per tonne is required to pay so-called «Producers responsible»: companies that manufacture, import or first have photovoltaic frameworks on the Greek market.
These undertakings must be registered on the National Register of Producers and participate in an approved Collective Alternative Management System. The contribution finances the collection, processing and environmentally safe management of frameworks when they reach the end of their lives.
In simple terms, the basic principle is that the person who puts the product on the market must also cover the future cost of recycling it.
Retrospective responsibility since 2012
The most important change is not only at the level of the levy but also at the time of financial responsibility. To date, there was a restriction on the operating conditions of the systems which allowed the search for retroactive contributions for a period of up to three years.
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That restriction shall be repealed. The new decision provides that liability may be applied until August 2012 or until the year in which each undertaking in debt began to have photovoltaic frameworks in Greece.
At the centre are so-called «unfunded» Frameworks. These are equipment that entered the Greek market after 2012, but without the intended recycling contribution being paid. The issue is of particular importance, as this period coincides with the large development of photovoltaic installations in the country.
Different is the treatment of «history» waste, i.e. the frameworks available before August 2012. For these, in accordance with the European framework, financial responsibility may be borne by the owner of the equipment.
How old debts will be paid
Although EOAN now determines who has to pay and what the minimum amount of the contribution is, it does not yet describe the exact way in which the retroactive amounts are paid.
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Specialization is transferred to the Alternative Management Collective Systems, which are invited to submit revised operational plans. These should present proposals for the calculation and payment of outstanding contributions from 2012.
Therefore, it remains open whether the debts will be paid once, in instalments, through letters of guarantee or by other arrangement. Market players stress that a single solution cannot be applied in all cases. Different financial needs create a framework that is expected to be withdrawn within the next five years and a framework that will turn into waste after ten or fifteen years.
The procedure for certifying the quantities that each company had placed on the market in previous years remains open. These statements will depend on the level of retroactivity obligations, but also on the overall economic planning of recycling systems.
Reactions and the difficult role of systems
The market welcomed the reduction in the minimum levy, but with reservations as to the implementation of the decision. The main concern is that alternative management systems are essentially required to identify non-compliant enterprises, verify the quantities they brought to the market and then collect the corresponding debts.
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Market representatives point out that a binding mechanism has not yet been established in cases where an undertaking refuses to declare the actual quantities or to pay its contribution. So there is a risk that the systems will take on a role «controller», without having the necessary powers and enforcement tools.
At the same time, the control of the old quantities entails administrative and economic costs, which, according to industry factors, has not been taken into account in the amount of EUR 132 per tonne. This is one of the main open fronts to be dealt with before the new framework can work in practice.
Why does the contribution of EUR 300 remain at present?
The decision of EUR 132 does not mean that the new charge is applied immediately throughout the market. Until the revised operational plans of the collective systems are submitted and approved, the previous contribution of EUR 300 per tonne continues to apply, according to market sources.
This level was considered particularly high and had contributed to market inactivation in the previous months. For this reason, the reduction to EUR 132 is seen as an important step, but it is not yet a direct and comprehensive solution.
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Due to competition, it is estimated that the systems will move, at least during the first period of application, close to the threshold of EUR 132 per tonne. The final price, however, will be reflected in the new operational plans submitted to EOAN.
Control of 2027 and potential increase
The new levy is not definitive. At the end of 2027 a check is foreseen to determine how many responsible producers have been registered and are normally involved in recycling systems.
The basic scenario of the decision is based on a 20% compliance rate for 2026 and 40% for 2027. If the actual participation moves below these levels, an increase in the minimum contribution to EUR 160 per tonne is envisaged.
The adjustment will not automatically take place. It will depend on the results of the audit, while the amount of the contribution will be reviewed every two years.
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The connection to the electrification of parks
Το μεγαλύτερο στοίχημα είναι να περιοριστούν οι λεγόμενοι «free riders», δηλαδή οι επιχειρήσεις που διαθέτουν πλαίσια στην αγορά χωρίς να εγγράφονται στο μητρώο και χωρίς να καταβάλλουν την εισφορά. Σύμφωνα με πηγές που γνωρίζουν το θέμα, το ποσοστό τους εκτιμάται ότι ξεπερνά ακόμη και το 90%.
Για να κλείσει αυτή η «τρύπα», ο ΕΟΑΝ εξετάζει, σε συνεργασία με τη ΡΑΑΕΥ, να καταστήσει την εγγραφή στο Εθνικό Μητρώο Παραγωγών προϋπόθεση για την ηλέκτριση ενός φωτοβολταϊκού πάρκου. Εφόσον η πρόταση προχωρήσει, για να συνδεθεί μία νέα μονάδα με το δίκτυο θα πρέπει προηγουμένως να έχουν δηλωθεί οι ποσότητες του εξοπλισμού και να έχει τακτοποιηθεί το αντίστοιχο τέλος ανακύκλωσης.
Παράλληλα, σχεδιάζεται νέα μελέτη για τη χαρτογράφηση της αγοράς, καθώς τα διαθέσιμα στοιχεία για τον αριθμό και τις ποσότητες των φωτοβολταϊκών πλαισίων βασίζονται σε μεγάλο βαθμό σε εκτιμήσεις.
Στόχος του ΕΟΑΝ είναι έως το τέλος του έτους να έχουν εγκριθεί τα νέα επιχειρησιακά σχέδια, να έχει προχωρήσει η σύνδεση της συμμόρφωσης με την ηλέκτριση και να έχει ξεκινήσει η ακριβέστερη καταγραφή της αγοράς. Μέχρι τότε, η εισφορά των 132 ευρώ αποτελεί το πρώτο και βασικό βήμα, αλλά η επιτυχία του νέου πλαισίου θα κριθεί από το εάν θα δημιουργηθεί ένας πραγματικός μηχανισμός ελέγχου και είσπραξης των οφειλών.
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