Energy suppliers would have liked to be removed from the schemes with consumer support measures and a direct aid granted, but the continuation of the supplier financing mechanism has been chosen and we would like some articles of the new Ordinance to be supplemented with clear reimbursement deadlines, Dana Daraban, executive director of the Federation of Associations of Energy Utility Companies (ACUE).

“If we were to look to the future, as a measure, the opportunity to adopt a package for a longer period, we accept it. In addition to the energy crisis, we see a geopolitical crisis. Developments are difficult to estimate. We agree that we live in a period with a high degree of unpredictability and we need an intervention on how to intervene. We were somehow willing to be taken out of these schemes and for customers to get direct help. In the end, it was decided to continue this scheme through the supplier pre-financing mechanism, so the suppliers initially pre-finance this scheme. We understand, so to speak, that this option has been chosen, but we still want a quick settlement flow and, an issue that we saw in the Ordinance recently published in the Official Gazette, we would like a supplement to certain articles with firm deadlines for settlement,” said Dana Daraban, according to Agerpres.

She pointed out that suppliers often resort to loans to finance these schemes, and last week the payments to be made to suppliers on the cold season 2021-2022 scheme were of around 20% of the total pre-financing.

“We are close to the end of March, which means the end of the implementation period, five months in which, by the decision of the authorities, a series of ceilings on final prices have been implemented and supplemented by a series of compensation measures for certain beneficiaries, depending on the criteria set by law. The estimated budget impact for these programs, estimated by the authorities, is of seven billion lei, if I remember correctly. Given that ACUE members cover around 60% of electricity consumption and 90% of natural gas consumption, I would say that members of the ACUE Federation participate substantially in pre-financing this scheme. We are aware of certain impediments that have occurred in compliance with the initial deadlines set by the Romanian state, however we insist on the idea of having a faster settlement flow,” pointed out Dana Daraban.

According to her, Romania is among the few countries that have chosen this mode of intervention, with a direct impact on suppliers and distributors, most EU member states promoting measures to reduce the tax component of the bill.