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1) Order no. 13288-B/2023 (DGEG) - Clarification of the procedure to be adopted for licensing the industrial production of hydrogen from renewable sources
Order no. 13288-B/2023, issued by the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology and published on the Portuguese Official Gazette on 29 December 2023, approves the clarification of the procedure to be adopted for licensing industrial activities involving the production of hydrogen from renewable sources. For this purpose, the applicants for licenses to produce renewable hydrogen must fill in the declaration in the Annex to this order, in which they undertake to:
a) Comply with the requirements for the use of energy from renewable sources, in accordance with Directive 2018/2001 in force;
b) Comply with the requirements of the delegated acts of Directive 2018/2001 in force, necessary to guarantee the renewable origin of the hydrogen produced;
c) Monitor the progressive entry into force of the requirements established in the aforementioned delegated acts, ensuring their fulfilment as soon as they are applicable to the renewable gas production installation in question.
For more information, the order can be consulted here.
2) Directive no. 19/2023 (ERSE) - Approval of the Global System Management Procedures Manual for the electricity sector
On 26 December 2023, the Directive no. 19/2023 was published, approving the Manual of Procedures for Global System Management in the electricity sector (MPGGS) annexed to the Directive.
Considering the principles of technological neutrality and the participation of demand in wholesale markets, the amendments to the MPGGS aim to implement European network codes, including the participation of consumer installations in system services, the inclusion of a new specific fast reserve product to deal with abrupt transitions in the interconnection programme and the adoption of standardised mFRR products, the latter being the main element of the amendment to the MPGGS.
In addition to the main points of the amendment to the MPGGS, various procedures were adapted due to the replacement of the national regulation reserve product with the standardised mFRR product.
In addition to approving the new MPGGS, this law repeals Directive 23/2022 of 13 December, which approved the former MPGGS, and Directive no. 12/2023 of 21 July, which amended it.
This directive entered into force on 27 December 2023, without prejudice to the rules for taking effect established in the MPGGS.
For more information, the directive can be consulted here.
3) Directive no. 20-A/2023 (ERSE) - Regulations on the allocation of grid connection capacity to consumer installations in the Sines high demand zone
Following the publication of Decree-Law no. 80/2023 of 6 September, which recognized the territorial area of Sines as a High Demand Zone (ZGP), Directive no. 20-A/2023 was published by the Energy Services Regulatory Authority. The operator of the National Electricity Transmission Network (RNT), in fulfilment of the provisions of the aforementioned Decree-Law, reported that it had ascertained demand by confirming the demand requested by interested parties. In addition, together with the operator of the National Electricity Distribution Network (RND), it has identified consumption capacity that has been allocated but not utilized, for the purposes of making it available and transferring it.
The directive approves the terms relating to the transfer and the amount to be paid by interested parties to those who make available or transfer allocated but unused consumption capacity in the ZGP. The amount to be settled is also the reserve price for the auction to be held if the capacity made available or ceded, in combination with the capacity resulting from network reinforcements, is not sufficient to meet the established demand.
The unused allocated capacity identified by the RNT and RND operators, when not made available voluntarily by the respective holders, must be made available, provided that it is necessary to meet the scheduled demand needs identified and confirmed under the terms of article 5 of Decree-Law no. 80/2023.
The amount of compensation payable to holders of installations connected to the RESP who make available or transfer unused allocated capacity is set at 0.00268EUR/(kVA.day) and cannot be updated.
For more information, the directive can be consulted here.
4) Directive no. 20/2023 (ERSE) - Approval of special rules for demand participation in system services
An ERSE directive was published on 26 December 2023, establishing special rules applicable to demand participation in the system services markets, within the scope of the application of network access tariffs and commercial relations.
For more information, the directive can be consulted here.
