The decree issued by the MiSE on 21 December 2017 redesigns the system of concessions for companies with a high consumption of electricity, expanding the audience of beneficiaries who will be able to access the concessions. The novelty introduced by the decree concerns the possibility of access facilitating thousands of new businesses thanks to the reduction of the minimum energy consumption threshold set at 1 GWh / year.

The economic measure implemented of one billion and 700 million euros reduces the cost of electricity for energy-intensive manufacturing companies with the aim of obtaining a progressive alignment of the costs for the supply of electricity of Italian companies to the levels of other competitors Europeans.

The provision is part of the implementation of the National Energy Strategy approved by the MiSE, at the same time as the reform of the system charges with which ARERA has made operational the new tariff structure of the general system charges for non-domestic customers in the electricity sector, necessary for adapt to European rules.

The subsidy for energy-intensive companies is cumulative with that provided for gas-intensive companies.

With the new rules, the subsidy, and the relative weight for the company that benefits from it, changes according to some parameters, such as gross value added (GVA) and / or energy intensity:

1. When my company is Energivora

Energy-intensive companies are those with high energy consumption. The MiSE decree of 21 December 2017, with effect from 1 January 2018, defines energy-intensive companies as those with an average consumption of electricity, calculated in the reference period, equal to at least 1 GWh / year and which are characterized by an electric intensity index given by the ratio between the costs for the consumption of electricity and the Company’s Gross Present Value (GVA) of no less than 20%.

2. How is the GV calculated

The Gross Present Value (GVA) represents the constituent parameter of the company on the basis of which the level of contribution to the general system costs is indicated. Its value is calculated, for the reference period, in accordance with the provisions of Annex 4 to the EC Guidelines and the determination ARERA DIEU 11/2017 – Provisions on the collection of relevant balance sheet data for the purpose of calculating the GVA.

There are several classes of intensity on the GVA and each of them has a different level of contribution. Contribution levels refer to the Asos component of general system charges (from 2018 it indicates the expenditure component intended to cover general charges relating to the support of energy from renewable sources and CIP 6/92 cogeneration) relating to cogeneration and energy renewable.

Called “n” the year of competence, that is the year in which the benefits are used, the reference period is represented by the three-year period that goes from “n-4” to “n-2”, except for most recent constitution.

3. What are the General System Charges?

General system charges are parafiscal charges related to the operation of the national electricity distribution network and are established on a quarterly basis by ARERA both for users under the enhanced protection regime and for those on the free market. Therefore, they do not fall within the discretion reserved to the supplier and, under the same conditions and consumption, they are the same in the various bills charged to all end customers.

4. What are the concessions for Energy-intensive companies

The concessions consist of a lower contribution by the company with a high consumption of electricity to the general system costs. The recognition takes place through the application, by the traders who bill the energy, of reduced and differentiated rates for the substantial component of the system charges. In particular, the rates are paid in full by non-energy-intensive companies while they are reduced in a differentiated manner for energy-intensive companies, on the basis of the concessionary classes.

5. There is an obligation of Energy Diagnosis

Yes. In compliance with Legislative Decree 102/2014, companies recognized as energy-consuming are subject to the obligation of Energy Diagnosis every 4 years and the annual communication of savings.