Overall assessment

Updated December 2022

Finland has adopted legislation that aims to transpose EU provisions on energy communities. So far, the government has only adopted one definition of ‘Local Energy Communities’, which is more connected to the CEC definition than to the REC definition. Because of this gap, there are no provisions that relate to the enabling framework for RECs. The only area that has been addressed is electricity sharing via virtual net metering. Some responsibilities of the DSO have been elaborated in this regard. Overall, the Finish government has not put in place any meaningful steps towards building an enabling framework, although there is a government working group that was established to look at the issue and develop the framework further, in line with its transposition requirements.

Detailed assessment

Assessment of obstacles and potential for development of ECs

The Government commissioned a study on the unjustified barriers concerning self-consumption and energy communities in 2019. If unjustified barriers were found, an assessment should have been made as to whether they can be removed.

A new Working Group was set up in September 2022 for 6 months by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment to identify regulation changes needed to develop a coherent piece of legislation on the different types of energy communities as those are not yet fully transposed.

Removal of unjustified regulatory & administrative barriers

Not addressed in the transposition.

DSO duties around cooperation with ECs and facilitation of energy sharing

The Decree transposing energy community provisions elaborates some duties for DSOs regarding facilitation of energy sharing. First, DSO must register the LEC according to section 15 of the Decree 839/2021 after receiving the relevant information and its updates. Second, the DSO is responsible for measuring electricity usage locations of the LEC’s members or shareholders. The DSO must also report net metering information of the LEC to the electricity trader's centralized information exchange centre for the purpose of organizing the internal credit calculation of the balance settlement period. The DSO must also notify the central information exchange centre if the internal netting of the balance settlement period for consumption and production is applied to the electricity usage point connected to its distribution network.

Fair, proportionate, and transparent registration & licensing procedures

The DSO must register the LEC according to section 15 of the Decree 839/2021 after receiving the relevant information and its updates. The DSO must then notify the central information exchange unit of electricity trade (Data hub) no later than 7 days and no earlier than 90 days before the start of the credit calculation. The compensation calculation must start within the 14 days of receiving this information from the LEC, unless the LEC was delayed in its notification.

Incentives connected to network tariffs based on a CBA

Not addressed in the transposition.

Non-discriminatory treatment as market participant

Not addressed in the transposition.

Accessibility to low-income & vulnerable households

Not addressed in the transposition.

Tools to access finance

Not addressed in the transposition.

Tools to access information

Not addressed in the transposition.

Regulatory capacity building for public authorities

Not addressed in the transposition.

NECP reporting on enabling frameworks

Not addressed in the transposition. Member States are required via the Governance Regulation (2018/1999) to report on their enabling frameworks for RECs by 15 March 2023.

Support Scheme adapted for RECs

Not addressed in the transposition.