A debt-flagging system to be made available to electricity suppliers as part of an effort to counter serial electricity-bill defaulters could be ready imminently, within the next month or two, officials at distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO and RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water, agreed during a meeting on Wednesday that included electricity supplier representatives as observers.

RAAEY presented a comprehensive plan for the development of a debt-flagging system, which DEDDIE/HEDNO officials ascertained could be ready for launch one to two months from now, sources informed.

However, DEDDIE/HEDNO clarified that it cannot take any responsibility for data to be posted on the debt-flagging system as it has no way of verifying its validity, the sources added.

As this data will be provided by electricity suppliers, establishing a transparent formula is crucial to ensure the operator will not be held accountable in the event that a consumer is erroneously marked as delinquent in the system due to a supplier’s mistake, and, as a result, suffers unjust repercussions without actually having outstanding debts.

Electricity suppliers are facing a surge in bad debts resulting from customers who opt to switch companies and leave behind unpaid bills, while just one in ten non-punctual consumers who have been blacklisted by suppliers and subsequently resorted to the country’s universal electricity supply service – offered, by law, by the top five suppliers – are paying fees for this service.