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Energy Utilities Companies' assoc asks a review of amendments to Energy Ordinance in order to avoid market blockage
The Federation of Associations of Energy Utilities Companies (ACUE) calls for a review of the new amendments to OUG (government emergency ordinance) 27/2022, in order to avoid the total blockage of the market and discontinuities in the energy supply of customers and makes a new call for accountability and for a genuine collaboration between the authorities and the industry for the joint analysis of data and the making of correct decisions.
"The situation is critical, too serious and directly affects the continuity of supply and distribution services," ACUE representatives said in a statement issued on Friday.
According to ACUE, the amendments to OUG 27/2022, regarding the measures applicable to the final customers in the electricity and natural gas market, aggravate the crisis in the energy sector and further vulnerable to the final customers.
"Setting the average settlement price for electricity suppliers is an unconstitutional provision, contrary to European and national legislation. The implementation of the new measures cannot be done from one day to another, but only after a minimum of 30 days. It is billed "on the water line", daily, not at the end of the calendar month. The support scheme is extended until August 31, 2023, but there is no budgetary impact study in the documents published by the authorities and no guarantee of budget allocations. No immediate solution is proposed to ensure the energy necessary for the operation of the distribution networks," the statement reads.
ACUE is the Federation of Associations of Energy Utilities Companies that has assumed the mission to contribute to the development of the energy industry and to the competitiveness of the Romanian economy, by promoting the benefits of the free market, of the correct competitive practices and of the mechanisms that contribute to the proper functioning of the electricity and natural gas markets. ACUE has 22 members, among which are important groups in the field of electricity and natural gas, with a total number of 24,000 employees and with an annual turnover of over 5.5 billion euros. ACUE members represent 56.4% of the entire electricity utility market and 89.9% of the total gas market, respectively.
The government approved on Thursday an Emergency Ordinance amending OUG 27/2022 on the measures applicable to the final customers in the electricity and natural gas market. It provides, among other things, for the extension until 31 August 2023 of the scheme for capping energy prices, the sanctioning with a fine of 5% of the turnover of successive energy transactions, the payment of a contribution to the Energy Transition Fund by electricity producers, aggregated entities for electricity production, traders, suppliers carrying out the trading activity and aggregators trading quantities of electricity and/or natural gas on the wholesale market and maximum settlement ceiling of the MW of electricity of 1,300 RON.
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