FER X Final Decree: auction operating rules for renewables approved

FER X Final Decree operating rules: what has been approved

Italy's Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) has approved the new version of the Operating Rules of the FER X Final Decree (Ministerial Decree of 18 June 2026, no. 194), the long-term support scheme for renewable plants with costs close to market competitiveness: wind, photovoltaic, hydroelectric and wastewater-treatment gas plants.

Drafted by the GSE in its 2 October 2026 version and available among the official GSE documents, the document updates Part A – covering preliminary qualification and already approved on 7 August 2026 – and introduces the new Part B, which governs expressions of interest, participation in the auctions, provisional and final guarantees, capacity quotas and rankings.

Support is provided through two-way contracts for difference lasting 20 years. Plants above 1 MW access the scheme through auctions; those up to 1 MW can access it directly until 31 December 2030, within a 10 GW quota.

FER X auctions: capacity, prices and calendar

The auctions are expected to make a total of 27.15 GW available: 16.5 GW for wind, 10 GW for photovoltaic, 0.63 GW for hydroelectric and 0.02 GW for wastewater-treatment gas.

The calendar includes seven ordinary procedures, held quarterly from December 2026 to June 2028, alongside four procedures dedicated to NZIA plants (Net-Zero Industry Act). For each procedure the GSE will publish a call with a minimum, target and maximum capacity quota.

The reference strike prices are €80/MWh for photovoltaic (range €65–95/MWh) and €85/MWh for wind (€70–95/MWh), updated for inflation in each call. Bidders offer a percentage discount on the maximum price; the ranking also reflects market-zone coefficients and priority criteria.

How to take part: preliminary qualification, expression of interest and bid

The first step is the preliminary qualification issued by the GSE, which checks the project's requirements and criteria within 90 days (60 for the first procedure).

Next comes the expression of interest, stating the requested capacity, demonstrating financial strength and posting a provisional guarantee equal to 5% of the investment cost: for 4 MW of photovoltaic, for example, the guarantee amounts to €180,000. Each project may submit no more than three expressions of interest, including those submitted under the transitional FER X scheme.

For the first procedure (hydroelectric, wind and photovoltaic, with NZIA calls for wind and photovoltaic), expressions of interest are submitted on the FER-X Definitivo Portal from 12:00 on 22 October to 12:00 on 6 November 2026.

Priority and award criteria: suitable areas, PPAs and storage

Ranking priority goes to projects in suitable areas or acceleration zones, to those with PPAs of at least 10 years registered on the GME platform, and to works on existing photovoltaic plants in agricultural areas that do not take up additional land.

For wind and photovoltaic in the NZIA procedures, there are also requirements on component supply-chain resilience and cybersecurity, as well as award criteria: among them, a storage system of at least 25% of the plant's capacity, with 4 kWh per kW for photovoltaic and 6 kWh per kW for wind.

FER X and Sunscape's photovoltaic projects

With the approval of Part B, the FER X Final Decree becomes fully operational: auction outcomes depend largely on the work done beforehand, on permits, site selection, financial strength and integration with storage.

The photovoltaic projects developed by Sunscape are eligible for the FER X scheme: if awarded, the two-way contract for difference fixes the energy price for 20 years, ensuring stable and predictable revenues and making the plants more bankable for investors and lenders.

Sunscape develops photovoltaic, agrivoltaic and battery storage (BESS) projects across Italy (see our projects), closely follows the implementation of the decree and supports partners, investors and landowners in preparing projects for the competitive procedures.

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