EVIKEN, the Association of Industrial Energy Consumers, in a letter forwarded to RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, has requested the exclusion of high-voltage electricity amounts from NOME calculations, noting that, one year since their introduction, the auctions have failed to make any impact on the high-voltage electricity market, leaving the main power utility PPC as the sole option for industrial consumers.

The RAE board is expected to meet within the current week, possibly today, to decide on whether to break up an increased NOME electricity amount of 720 MWh/h for the remainder of 2017 into two lots.

EVIKEN, which made the high-voltage exclusion request – estimated at 6,800 GWh, annually, by the association – as part of its first appraisal, one year since the arrival of the NOME auctions, is also expected to take its case to the European Commission, sources informed.

The association, in its letter, also notes that the progress towards a more competitive environment for suppliers has been extremely slow and showing signs of a slowdown.

EVIKEN also makes note of an uneven impact made by the NOME auctions, so far, on the electricity market’s sub-categories. The association pointed out that PPC has lost over 30 percent in the mid-voltage category, no more than 10 percent in the low-voltage category, and lost no ground in the high-voltage supply category.