The Council of Ministers has given the green light, at the proposal of the Ministries of Industry and Tourism; of Economy, Trade and Business; and for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, to the definitive agreement for the free allocation of greenhouse gas emission rights for the facilities included in the emission rights trading scheme during the period 2026-2030.
This decision will affect more than 650 industrial facilities, which together will receive an annual average of 38.1 million emission rights over those five years.
If the last year of the previous period, 2025, is compared with the first of the new cycle, 2026, a decrease of 1.6% is observed. As a result, the coverage deficit of the free allocation of emission rights for the industry, which includes cogenerations and other combustion facilities, will increase from 20.0% to 21.3%, according to the Ministry, which recalled that electricity generation has not received free allocation of emission rights since January 1, 2013.
Sources from the department headed by Sara Aagesen emphasized that the reduction in the coverage of the free allocation of emission rights "is consistent with the current scenario of more ambitious goals in the fight against climate change."
For the period 2026-2030, two specific regimes for small emitters are maintained within the Emission Rights Trading Scheme, which contemplate simplified obligations in order to reduce the administrative burden for both the facilities and the competent authorities.
The facilities that fall under one of these exclusion regimes and have requested free allocation of emission rights will receive a total of 3.3 million rights for the entire period.
However, the allocations approved for these facilities will only become effective if they return to the general regime by exceeding the established emission thresholds.