The country’s independent electricity suppliers currently face a significant retroactive cost burden after having recently received final clearance requests for settlement of amounts owed to distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO, which, in the case of the larger companies, exceed 10 million euros.

A normalization factor calculated by DEDDIE/HEDNO has resulted in a significant discrepancy between the quantities of electricity paid by suppliers while the normalization factor was applied in the first half of 2022, and the quantities determined now, based on the final settlement.

Additional kilowatt-hours will be charged at wholesale prices of the time, which are exorbitant, given that the energy crisis was at its peak in 2022. As a consequence, this will put some suppliers under financial pressure.

According to supply company officials, delays in the procedure for final settlements, beyond a prescribed one-year deadline, are also causing issues. Cases concerning the first half of 2022 should have been completed by the first half of 2023, they noted.

This delay effectively means that amounts requested cannot be recovered from consumers who actually consumed the energy in question. Moreover, many consumers may have changed supplier in the process.