Two government decisions have prevented a reduction of public service compensation surcharges (YKO) included in electricity bills, despite the account being in surplus territory, the head official of RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, has informed.

A government measure was recently ratified to enable a retroactive return of public service compensation amounts to power utility PPC for outstanding amounts from previous years, although RAE had determined, in 2019, no need for a return to the utility, according to RAE president Athanasios Dagoumas.

Another decision, approved last year and also preventing a public service compensation reduction for consumers, links the surcharge’s account with the RES special account, the RAE chief explained, while adding that this measure has yet to be fine-tuned through a related ministerial decision.

Dagoumas, speaking at a press conference yesterday, clarified that the energy ministry decides on public service compensation surcharge revisions and surplus returns, whereas the authority’s role is limited to offering opinion.

The public service compensation ended 2021 with a surplus of 105 million euros despite reporting a deficit of 150 million-euro deficit in July, according to the RAE chief.

Dagoumas said he informed the government that the public service compensation surplus could be utilized for social policy. However, the energy ministry eventually decided to suspend returns for certain consumer categories, he added.