Sharply higher wholesale electricity prices registered over the past five weeks or so in the energy exchange’s new target model markets have, to a great extent, been quietly passed on by suppliers to consumer tariffs in the household, business and industrial categories, without any related announcements  from suppliers.

Price hikes by electricity suppliers have applied to approximately 35 percent of total electricity consumption, during this period, while tariff hikes have exceeded 20 percent in the low and mid-voltage categories.

In the low-voltage category, suppliers have activated clauses enabling tariff increases when wholesale price levels exceed certain levels.

Very few independent electricity suppliers, both vertically integrated and not, carry fixed-tariff agreements in their portfolios, exposing most consumers to wholesale electricity price fluctuations.

On the contrary, power utility PPC, representing roughly 65 percent of overall consumption, does not include wholesale price-related clauses in its supply agreements, meaning its tariffs have remained unchanged over the past few weeks.

Instead, PPC includes clauses linked to emission right prices in international markets. These have remained relatively steady in recent times.

Even if wholesale electricity prices happen to deescalate in the next few weeks, a likely prospect, some latency should be expected in any downward tariff adjustments by suppliers.

Numerous consumers have lodged complaints with RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, over the tariff hikes by suppliers. Complaints by suppliers against energy producers setting excessively high prices in target model markets have also been made.