Environmentalists: Failure to approve Lex Gas would be a step backwards for Czech energy

Environmental organisations contacted by the Czech News Agency (ČTK) warn that failure to approve the amendment to the Energy Act known as Lex Gas would be a step backwards for Czech energy. The Senate returned the bill to the Chamber of Deputies for further debate on Wednesday evening. Although senators did not challenge the legislation’s key provisions, they proposed changes, particularly concerning inspections of older solar power plants.

"The senators’ proposal to remove individual inspections of old solar plants is positive for certainty in the business environment. It is now up to the Chamber of Deputies to see the amendment through," said Jiří Koželouh, head of the energy programme at Hnutí Duha.

Koželouh added that although he had reservations about the amendment, its failure would be a dangerous step backwards for the energy sector. "The amendment simplifies the process for wind farms and takes the first step towards freeing up grid capacity for new renewable energy projects," he said.

Other environmental organisations have also criticised the bill’s return to the Chamber of Deputies. According to Edvard Sequens of the Calla association, the original version of the law would speed up permitting for wind farms, which is currently painfully slow, with some steps needlessly repeated. "I support the adoption of the original version because a similar law will not be passed before the election," he said. He described the finance minister’s addition on repeated inspections of solar plants nearing the end of their useful lives as punitive, but said he understood why it had been rejected.

According to Jaroslav Bican of Greenpeace Czech Republic, the amendment contains a problematic provision that would allow loss-making coal-fired power plants to receive subsidies under certain circumstances. "The Chamber of Deputies approved a version of the amendment that scaled back the possibility of subsidies. But the legislation also includes positive changes concerning renewable energy sources," he said. Now that the Senate has returned the bill to the Chamber of Deputies, he said, there is a risk that if it is not approved, renewable energy sources will suffer along with coal-fired power plants receiving subsidies.

The amendment, known as Lex Gas, is intended to speed up permitting for new combined-cycle gas-fired power plants. It could shorten the permitting process by up to five years, while the plants are expected to provide sufficient electricity generation capacity as coal is phased down. The Chamber of Deputies will reconsider the bill; three months ago, it rejected an almost identical Senate amendment.