The measures proposed by the new Emergency Ordinance for the payment of energy suppliers represent a recognition of the fact that the fund from which the state settles the compensations is not sustainable, Dana Dărăban, executive director of the Federation of Associations of Energy Utilities Companies (ACUE).
According to her, the proposed solution “is not a real one”, since the two relevant ministries do not have additional funds to allocate, not even temporarily.
“The proposed ordinance and the imposed measures are in fact and de jure a recognition of the fact that the way in which the fund, from which the state settles the compensations, is financed, is not sustainable. Unfortunately, the proposed solution is not a real solution, because the relevant ministries do not have those additional funds to allocate, even temporarily, to this budget chapter. This is what we understood from the observations of the Ministry of Energy, which said very clearly that it does not have additional amounts that it could allocate, not even temporarily, for the payment of these compensations,” explained Dana Dărăban.
She emphasized that in the absence of payments to suppliers, they will be at risk of not being able to ensure payments to distribution, transport, production, taxes and excises, VAT, etc.
“So, somehow, from everything we collect from the customer, plus the difference that the state has to pay… we give the money back. It’s a very small proportion that stays with the supplier, representing the cost of supply, the cost of employees and the system of invoicing,” added Dărăban.
ACUE representatives stress, in a post on the federation’s Facebook page, that the new draft Emergency Ordinance (EOG regarding some fiscal-budgetary measures, the extension of some deadlines, as well as for the modification and completion of some normative acts) puts the functioning of the entire energy system at risk, through the provision according to which the Ministries of Labor and Energy use non-existent budgetary resources for the payment of debts committed, also by the Government, through capping schemes.
“The national energy system was supported by suppliers, with bank loans, based on the regulations and commitments of the Government, which undertook to return the difference between the market price of energy and the capped price, paid by consumers. In accordance with the legislation issued by the Government, the suppliers have the obligation to pay in advance, in full, the amounts for the payment of energy, at the market price, for transport, distribution, system services and all taxes. The difference between the actual amount paid in the market and the capped amount (paid by consumers), approved by ANRE, had to be recovered later from the Ministries of Labor (for household consumers) and the Ministry of Energy (for industrial consumers). The suppliers pay the entire production chain and receive a capped supply tariff as well, by legislation,” ACUE representatives explain, according to Agerpres.
They point out that, at this moment, the settlements confirmed by ANRE and awaiting payment are only covering amounts at the level of December 2022, while only for the payments due for industrial consumers the unpaid amount is of over 1.3 billion lei.
“ACUE and the representatives of various energy associations and companies have drawn attention on numerous occasions that the capping scheme involves a large budgetary effort and requested the highlighting of the sources of income that could cover these expenses, committed by the Government, through its own regulations. ACUE proposed a series of solutions that could unlock the situation that have been disregarded by government partners. Unfortunately, it is a new signal of lack of seriousness, planning, vision and, finally, competence in managing one of the most sensitive economic periods from the last decade, which the authorities transmit to the entire economy,” the quoted source adds.