The National Regulatory Authority for Energy ANRE, requires players on the electricity market to be more transparent, primarily through the disclosure of the concluded agreements on the market, within seven days from the signature.
“The Regulatory Committee of ANRE approved the Order 7/2017 for approving the Rules regarding the publication of information relating to the concluded transactions on the electricity market, order approved for compliance with the provisions introduced by Law 203/2016 of amending and supplementing the Law of electricity and gas natural no. 123/2012. The establishes as obligation for the parties of the agreements on the regulated market or for export to transmit to the electricity market operator a copy of these agreements, within maximum 7 days after their conclusion, respectively maximum 7 days for the agreements concluded before the entry into force of the order”, it is shown in a statement.
In its turn, the energy market operator shall publish the information regarding the prices and quantities determined, following all the transactions performed on all the centralized electricity markets, including the agreements on the regulated market or for export, with the compliance of the conditions laid down in art. 43 (2) of Law 123/2012 according to which the electricity market operator is not allowed to disclose information related to the transactions of electricity which it holds, obtained during its activity otherwise than under the law.
“We estimate that the rules approved will lead to an increased transparency in the electricity market, to the establishment of an equitable access to information for the market participants, as well as improving the competitive environment, which will reflect positively on the final customers and which will contribute to an increase in their education in the electricity market sector”, says ANRE.
New standards of transparency
The Regulatory Committee of ANRE has approved in its meeting on Wednesday, 08.02.2017, a new standard of performance for the activity of supply of electricity, regulation drafted in the process of updating and completing the existing regulatory framework, it is shown in the release.
The regulation is “accordance with the regulatory objectives regarding the development of an efficient energy system, reliable and oriented towards the final consumer.”
The provisions of the performance standard for the activity of electricity supply approved by ANRE Order no. 6/2017 apply to the relations between the supplier and the final consumers – during the ongoing period of the supply of electricity agreement.
Among the new key elements introduced by the new regulation, there are the parameters of transparency imposed to the providers and the levels of compensation for breaching the agreement.
Thus, ANRE requires the suppliers for the quarterly determination of the values of performance indicators, for the activity of electricity supply to the final consumers categories, namely household, small non-household, large non-household.
The Regulation also stipulates the obligation of the economic operators who are licensed to supply electricity, but are not engaged in providing to the final consumers, to publish on their websites, at the terms set out within the standard, for the transmission to ANRE of the reports regarding the performance indicators, an information that motivates on the fact that they have not calculated and published the performance indicators.
The providers of last resort are obliged to pay compensations to the household consumers and if they fail to meet the deadlines set in the procedure for the award of damages to the household consumers, for the damaged appliances receivers, as a result of a certain accidental surge, from the guilt of the network operator, approved by the ANRE Order 177/2015.
“We introduced the provision, that in case of the negociated electricity supply agreements, if the levels of the services quality are not met, the providers must pay the occuring compensations to final consumers, according to the agreement provisions”, says ANRE.
“In order to fulfill its duties under the specific regulations in force, the provider is required to organize and maintain a single point of the agreement, comprising a central point, which ensures a specialized structure in communication with the final consumer”, besides the permanent voice and data service.
Unfortunately, the single point may be at maximum 50km away from the consumer’s residence, a distance often prohibitive in the relation with the provider.
ANRE argues that socio-economic impact of the new provisions “will be positive both on the energy market as a whole – by increasing consumer protection, ensuring the continuity of electricity supply and promote competition in the electricity market by providing an additional criterion to the selection of the provider, on the economic operators – by their obligation to ensure the final consumers with a high standard of electricity supply under clearly defined, transparent, non-discriminatory and verifiable conditions, as well as the consumers/final consumers – by providing information to the final consumers regarding the quality of services offered, the compensations paid by the electricity providers if the levels of the guaranteed performance indicators are not met, as well as the means of communication and information made available to the final consumers by the electricity providers”.
