The “disruption management” plan, to enable energy cost savings for major-scale industry in exchange for shifting energy usage to off-peak hours whenever required by the operator, appears set to be implemented in March, when the plan’s first auction is likely to be held.

An announcement for the first auction is likely to be made later this month, around February 24 to 26.

Earlier this week, IPTO, the power grid operator, put the overall procedure in motion by announcing the terms for the “disruption management” plan’s auctions. Subsequently, RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, will now put the plan through a swift public consultation process, expected to be completed by February 22.

It all boils down to meaning that, barring any unexpected developments, the additional energy costs burdening for the industrial sector as a result of a high-voltage tariff increase at the beginning of the year, without the arrival of the “disruption management” plan, will be limited to the first two months.

A ministerial decision for the “disruption management” plan was signed in late December. It had been anticipated that IPTO would require about a month-and-a-half to prepare the necessary preliminary details.

A total of 500 MW will be offered at the first auction. Industrial enterprises intending to take part in the auction will need to have registered at the IPTO registry ten days ahead of the announcement, according to the procedure’s regulations. Given that the first auction’s announcement is expected to be made late this month, the deadline for registrations is not far away.

According to sources, the level of interest among industrial enterprises is high. Virtually all industrial firms have either already registered or are preparing to do so.