MEMBERSHIP
Croatia continues to develop an EECS-compliant GO systems, and has been joined in this activity by Greece and Italy. Croatia and Greece are considering joining the AIB next year.
MARKET ACTIVITY
The number of issued certificates has plateaued for the time being, but this is not expected to last forever: the new RES Directive will certainly incentivise new countries to join the AIB and existing members to make further use of guarantees of origin (GO), to enable them to disclose the source of energy to consumers. We can already see this in 2010, where cancellation of GO (which is done at the point when GO are actually used to provide evidence of consumption of energy) is close to reaching the total for the whole of last year - and there are more than six months of the year yet to go. In fact, international transfer and cancellation of GOs for the first quarter of 2010 are up more than 60% compared with the same the first quarter of 2009.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
At first sight, exports seem to exceed imports. However, this is deceptive: not all transfers are instantaneous, and hence trades which commence in one month can complete the following month. The Nordic countries - Norway, Sweden and Finland - continue to be the major exporters, although Austria seems to have returned to the scene recently. Regarding imports, these continue to be Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium (both Flanders and Wallonia); with other countries playing a lesser part.
MEMBER ACTIVITY
BENELUX
The Netherlands, while continuing to issue and export certificates, continues to be one of the major consumers of certificates.
Flanders continues to issue and import increasing numbers of certificates. It has cancelled a large number of certificates this year, although some of these undoubtedly relate to 2009.
Wallonia continues to import and cancel large numbers of certificates, but has yet to issue or export many.
Brussels continues to cancel certificates issued in 2009, but has yet to issue this year, or to trade internationally.
Luxembourg, a relative newcomer to AIB, has commenced transferring certificates internationally, but has yet to issue or cancel.
NORDIC / NORTH EUROPEAN
Denmark continues to issue and cancel more certificates in the past, and is also trading internationally more than ever.
Finland is issuing less, but cancelling more than before. International trade, too, increases.
Norway continues to be the major producer, although lower reservoir levels than before will doubtless decrease production this year. Cancellation is already at the level of last year; while international trade continues to grow.
Swedish issuing is down on last year, although cancellation has already exceed that of 2009.
Ireland has been inactive since 2008.
MEDITERRANEAN / SOUTH EUROPEAN
France seems to be less active that in 2009, with cancellations appreciably down, although issuing is close to the same as last year. Imports are also down on last year.
Italy has issued few certificates so far this year, but has cancelled far more - and activity in this respect, and for imports, is close to last year. Italy is close to introducing an EECS RES GO scheme.
Portugal has issued slightly more certificates so far this year than last year, but cancelled none. It has, however, exported some certificates for the first time.
Spain has issued slightly more certificates so far this year than in the whole of 2009, and cancelled substantially more. It has, however, not traded internationally since 2005.
CENTRAL EUROPE
Austria is now cancelling far more EECS certificates, as it includes with these certificates that were issued under its own national scheme, but transferred under EECS. Cancellations are far higher than last year, and international trade is substantially higher - importing and exporting having quadrupled.
Germany has not issued any certificates since 2008, but has established itself as a major importer and canceller of certificates. Cancellations are substantially up on last year, as is international trade, where exports are already double those achieved in 2009, and imports look to comfortably outstrip last year’s.
Slovenia has not issued any certificates for much of the past year, but has cancelled a few, as it progresses with the implementation of its RES GO scheme.
Swiss activity - both issuing and cancellation - is down on 2009, but international trade seems to have risen substantially, last year’s total already having been outstripped.
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