Last Friday in Brussels, the European Commission adopted the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) Secondary Legislation (here), setting out the rules for Member States on how to reward sustainability and resilience in renewable auctions. The move follows the publication of the Net-Zero Industry Act in June 2024, and its public consultations in February this year. It is now up to Member States to implement as of 2026. SolarPower Europe has issued the following statement in reaction.

Dries Acke, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe (he/him) said:  

“This Act marks an important step in the EU’s strive to diversify and reshore solar manufacturing to Europe. It creates a dedicated market for EU solar products, giving much-needed relief to European solar manufacturing.

We look forward to seeing the first auctions under the Act in 2026 and encourage Member States to effectively implement the resilience principles, including premiums for made-in-Europe solar panels. With solar manufacturers in peril, there is no time to lose.

In addition, we call on the EU to complete its industrial policy with better financing for clean tech manufacturing projects in Europe, in the form of a dedicated EU solar or clean tech manufacturing bank.”

Notes 

• In parts of energy auctions, EU countries now have the possibility to reward project bidders based on non-price criteria, like sustainability or resilience.
• This criteria will apply to a minimum of 30% of auctions initially. This is a positive, measured, approach, which will help EU solar manufacturers finance project pipelines, knowing that there is reliable demand for their product. This also means the rest of the auction market should remain unaffected, maintaining the necessary pace of solar deployment. To guarantee this win-win, we encourage member states to act swiftly, while respecting the 30% threshold.
• Several Member States have acted on that commitment with national support schemes like the Pacte solaire declaration in France, the financial support with PERTE in Spain, the tax credit scheme Piano Transizione 5.0 in Italy or the Made in EU- bonus in Austria.
• The NZIA will be revised in 2027, via ordinary legislative procedure, to map out the trajectory towards 2030 and beyond. This is a sensible ‘walk before we run’ approach.
• The Secondary Legislation of the public procurement provisions under the NZIA is still pending.