Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 9 October (BelTA) – There are plans to revise the measures meant to encourage the development of renewable sources of energy, BelTA learned from Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich during the plenary session of the Belarusian Energy and Ecology Forum on 9 October.

The official said: “In our opinion, taking into account the advance of modern technologies and a considerable decrease in investments in such energy installations, the society is getting close to the level of responsibility in ecological matters, which allows the government to reduce the renewable energy development incentives.” Work is now in progress to improve the legislation on these matters. “I am confident we will be able to strike a balance of interests of producers and consumers. It is a strategic task for us,” said Viktor Karankevich.

The energy minister reminded that the adoption of the law on renewable energy sources and the resulting stimulating energy tariffs had encouraged the development of renewable energy sources. Investors are assured their power generators will be connected to the power grid and their electricity will be bought. As a result, by 2021 the output capacity of renewable energy sources outside the Energy Ministry system is expected to increase by more than 30 times in comparison with 2012 (from 20MW to 670MW).