RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, is expected to keep the RES-supporting ETMEAR surcharge virtually unchanged for household and business consumers in its next revision of this fee, added to electricity bills.

The authority, which reassesses the surcharge every three months, will need to reach a decision by the end of June. The results will come into effect in the third quarter next year.

Though LAGIE, the Electricity Market Operator, has forecast a surplus for its RES special account by December of this year, RAE does not yet appear prepared to reduce the ETMEAR surcharge, fearing that such a move could place under risk the task of eliminating the account’s deficit, a bailout requirement.

RAE officials also seem determined to maintain a surplus for the RES special account as a safety net that would protect against any unexpected developments. These could include a shift in the performance of the electricity supplier surcharge, which, until now, has proven a very useful tool in helping reduce the RES special account.

If RAE does decide to keep the the RES-supporting ETMEAR surcharge unchanged this time around, as is expected, then the authority will most likely proceed with slight changes during its next assessment, scheduled for September, when market data will offer a clearer picture.

It can be considered certain that the ETMEAR surcharge added to electricity bills will eventually be reduced, probably in the not too distant future, as the RES special acccount’s inflow is set to outweigh outflow in 2018.

Talks are pending between the energy ministry and European Commission for an adjustment to the surcharge contributed by Greece’s energy-intensive industry. Once the Greek adjustment plan is endorsed by Brussels, the formula used to determine the ETMEAR surcharge for energy-intensive industries will be revised downwards, as has been the case in many other EU member states. For the time being, however, no ETMEAR-related changes appear likely for the industrial sector.