Hydropower levy for the State on large plants moved to the authorisation regime

Article 8 of Act No. 2026-554 of 29 June 2026 creates Article L. 543-1 of the Energy Code: hydroelectric plants under the new authorisation regime (former concessions above 4.5 MW), outside Corsica, are subject to a levy for the State, which passes 3% on to the territorial river basin public bodies (EPTB). Each year, the amount equals the electricity fed into the grid (in MWh) multiplied by an amount obtained by applying a progressive scale to net profit per MWh, in bands of €0-30, €30-60, €60-100 and above €100 per MWh; the rate for each band is set by Conseil d'État decree. The article also sets a public land occupation fee of €2,000 per installed megawatt, sets the IFER network tax on these plants at €7.6 per kilowatt and changes its allocation between local authorities, with a mechanism compensating local revenue losses.