Government approves free emissions vouchers for polluters

The government has approved an Environment Ministry request to allocate free emissions vouchers that will save energy companies and other polluters tens of billions of crowns. Companies will have to invest the 138 billion crowns they save in decreasing their ecological footprint. Vouchers for the years 2013 to 2020, 39% of the 640 million vouchers received will be assigned free of charge to Czech industries, the rest must be purchased. A large part of the vouchers will go to the power company ČEZ, as one of the main producers of emissions in the country.