Recent changes to the Code of Contraventions prohibiting the disconnection of debtors from electricity before the expiration of 10 days after receiving an official notification contradicts current regulations and will lead to higher electricity prices - Premier Energy
The company said this while commenting the recent draft law adopted by Parliament of Moldova in the final reading. The mentioned draft law provides for amendments to the Code of Contraventions, according to which consumers can be disconnected from electricity only 10 days after receiving a written confirmation of the notification sent by the supplier after the expiration of the deadline for the payment for the electricity bill. As noted by Premier Energy, first of all, this legislative initiative was adopted without consulting the operators of the energy sector and ignoring the negative opinion of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE). The corresponding amendments made to the Code of Contraventions contradict the regulations in the field of energy and the provisions of the Electricity Law, which directly establish the procedure for warning and informing the consumer about the timing of payment of the bill and the consequences of non-payment. Premier Energy said that the amendments will inevitably lead to an increase in the price of electricity supply, given the need for additional costs to recruit personnel to issue and distribute additional notifications, receive and store written confirmation, as well as introduce information systems necessary for automated management and control of the entire process. As specified, the estimated additional costs will amount to about 27 million lei per year for Premier Energy alone, which will result in an increase in the average price for the supply of electricity by 0.7% (1.07 ban / kWh) or the equivalent of 15 lei per year for the consumer, who consumes an average of 120 kWh of electricity per month. Premier Energy notes that with a total of almost 1 million customers served by the company, unintended anomalies and errors can occur in the workflow. In such a situation, the consumer can contact the company directly to file a complaint. Premier Energy clarifies that the number of complaints from consumers averages 0.4% per month (about 4,000 consumers). At the same time, consumers can defend their rights by applying to ANRE, as well as to court. “But promulgation of the draft law, correcting some possible isolated cases, in our opinion, would not be the right decision,” the company notes. Its representatives conclude that by justifying its rationale for “supporting electricity consumers affected by the COVID-19 crisis”, the bill affects electricity costs, collection processes and liquidity available to buy electricity, and most importantly, it will affect the price of electricity delivery to end consumers. “We urge central government authorities and the National Energy Regulatory Agency to renew constructive dialogue with stakeholders to continue to move forward with the improvement and modernization of the energy sector, but without provoking uncertainty and additional risks,” said Premier Energy. // 27.04.2021 – InfoMarket
