Guide · for producers
Dedicated withdrawal or open market?
The GSE dedicated withdrawal scheme is the simplest way to sell a plant’s energy. The open market, with a negotiated contract, takes more work and lets you negotiate price and terms. How they compare, item by item.
The EKA team · updated on 5 October 2026 · reviewed every three months
What dedicated withdrawal is
It is a simple way to sell a plant’s energy: the GSE takes it, at a price that is not negotiated, under a contract that is the same for everyone. It is provided for by Legislative Decree 387 of 2003 and Law 239 of 2004; the detailed regulation is ARERA’s, in Resolution 280/07.
Who can apply:
- plants below 10 MVA, whatever the source;
- plants of any capacity running on wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, wave and tidal energy;
- self-producers, for their surplus energy.
What it pays, and when
The GSE pays for the energy fed in at the hourly zonal price set on the day-ahead market, in the plant’s zone. For the smallest renewable plants there are minimum guaranteed prices, updated by ARERA every year, on a limited quantity of energy: for 2026, in the GSE’s example for a renewable plant, 4.75 euro cents per kWh up to 1,500,000 kWh a year. With the minimum price, a year-end adjustment pays the zonal price if it was higher.
Payment is monthly, two months in arrears: January’s energy by the end of March. From each payment the GSE withholds the fee for administrative costs, by power bracket and with an annual cap (plants up to 3 kW are exempt), and the imbalance costs.
The comparison, item by item
| GSE dedicated withdrawal | Open market, with a negotiated contract | |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Standard, the same for everyone | Negotiated, and reviewed by EKA to protect the producer |
| Price | The hourly zonal price of the day-ahead market, in the plant’s zone; for small plants, the minimum guaranteed prices | Formulas chosen with you, including fixed price |
| Dispatching and imbalance | Borne by the producer: the GSE withholds them from payments | Can pass to the buyer |
| Payments | Monthly, two months in arrears: January’s energy is paid by the end of March | Faster terms and payment guarantees, written into the contract |
| Administrative costs | A fee to the GSE by power bracket, with an annual cap; nothing below 3 kW | We do the administrative work |
The open-market column describes the contracts EKA negotiated up to 2025. Under the new schemes (FER X, contracts for difference) balancing may remain the producer’s obligation: it is checked case by case, before signing.
How to choose
Dedicated withdrawal takes little time and does not require following the market: for a small plant it may be enough. The open market requires a contract, a reliable counterparty and someone to check the feed-in invoices month by month: in return, price and terms are negotiated.
That is why, every year since 2017, we put the energy of the producers we work with into an RFQ, request for quotation, to traders: the same terms for everyone, the comparison on a single sheet, and the choice stays yours. Our case studies show the figures for some plants, period by period, against the GSE zonal price.
Other guides
The first step
Send us your plant’s data sheet
We compare what you earn today with what the market can give you.