IPTO head: Commission OK’s industry energy-saving plan

The European Commission has approved a local plan for the implementation of a “disruption management” policy to enable energy cost savings for industry, Independent Electricity Transmission System Operator (IPTO) President and CEO, Yiannis Giarentis, disclosed at the recent inaugural “Energy Dialogues” event in Athens, held as part of the multi-conference titled “Capital & Vision”.

The plan, to be made available to large-scale electricity consumers, who will be expected to reduce consumption whenever required by the system operator as a result of supply-and-demand related pressure on the grid – for example, low capacity supply coinciding with high demand, or a sudden production drop by renewable energy source (RES) facilities – in exchange for rewards in the form of electricity rate discounts, had been submitted to the EU’s executive body in the summer.

The European Commission needed to examine whether the plan complied with EU competition law and whether it could qualify for state aid.

The “disruption management” policy has been a long-standing demand by Greece’s industrial sector. It is a widely applied method in many countries, offering competitive advantages to heavy industry.

An official announcement on the measure’s approval is anticipated to be made within the next few days by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition and Greek authorities.