The renewable electricity support scheme
Renewables support
Renewables support in Austria is enshrined in the Ökostromgesetz (Green Electricity Act) 2012.The green power settlement agent OeMAG is the body that checks the eligibility of all funding applications and verifies whether each additional application still fits within the available support budget. Where this is the case, it concludes contracts with the operators of the green power plants, purchases their electricity and disburses the corresponding feed-in tariffs.
On 1 July 2012, the Green Electricity Act 2012 also introduced a new funding mechanism for the support scheme. Since then, the funds have been sourced from the flat rate renewables charge and the renewables contribution, both of which appear on consumers' bills, and from the fees for guarantees of origin.
Electricity and money flows
Operators of supported green power plants sell their electricity to OeMAG for the feed-in tariffs that have been set by ordinance. The system operators are obliged to distribute this electricity through their networks.
Der vereinfachte Aufbringungsmechanismus Öksostromförderung nach ÖSG 2012
OeMAG allocates its green electricity to power traders in accordance with their market share. For instance, a trader with a market share of 5% will be allocated 5% of OeMAG's green power. These percentages are reviewed on a monthly basis.
For the green power they receive from OeMAG, the traders pay the hourly day-ahead spot price. In addition, they pay OeMAG for the guarantees of origin they get.
Apart from the spot price for the electricity sold and the fees for the guarantees of origin, OeMAG recovers funds for the green power support scheme from consumers. Electricity consumers find two related items on their bills: the renewables contribution, which is a percentage markup on the use of system charge and the charge for grid losses, and the flat-rate renewables charge, which currently amounts to € 11 per year per household.
Further materials
Our German pages provide an information kit for operators of green power plants who intend to apply for support and have a downloadable version of OeMAG's general terms and conditions, approved by the regulator.