Spain suspends FITs

28. January 2012 | Top News, Applications & Installations, Industry & Suppliers, Global PV markets, Markets & Trends | By:  Oliver Ristau

In a surprise move, the Spanish Council of ministers has implemented a temporary suspension of the renewable energy feed-in-tariffs (FIT) for new installations in Spain.

No further renewable energy projects, which includes photovoltaics, will receive FITs.

Solarpack

As a reaction to the financial crisis in the Mediterranean country, the new Spanish government, under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, has approved a new law, by which the current system of remuneration for renewable energies will be discontinued.

As the Council of Ministers announced on Friday, the government won’t give any economic incentive to fund new renewable installations, and the relevant administrative and funding systems will be suspended.

While it was said that the suspension will be temporary, the government did not disclose any timeframe for when the FITs may be resumed.

In a statement released, it argued that “to maintain the current system of remuneration is incompatible to the current economic crisis.” It did stress, however, that the new measures will not be retroactive. They won’t effect “either the installations in operation, or those that are already registered.”