A government plan to prematurely end the country’s NOME auctions has unsettled some of the Greek retail electricity market’s independent suppliers, who fear the absence of an effective transitional model until the establishment of the target model would expose them to unforeseen dangers.

Energy minister Costis Hatzidakis has declared he wants to abolish NOME auctions, including the year’s final session, scheduled for October 16, noting the measure – introduced by the previous government as a tool to help end power utility PPC’s market dominance – is forcing the state-controlled utility to sell wholesale electricity at below-cost levels and consequently further aggravating the troubled firm’s financial performance.

Electricity suppliers, not including the major vertically integrated players, have expressed concerns as a further delay in the implementation of the target model and launch of energy exchange markets is considered likely.

Some suppliers have asked their legal departments to examine possible moves.

“On the NOME auctions, we would like to point out that we are confident the ministry will find the fairest solution for healthy competition,” commented Federico Regola, CEO at Zenith. “We are open to discussing our experience with authorities in order to relay our experience for utilization and the proper functioning of the market to the benefit of consumers. We are monitoring developments and awaiting related announcements while also maintaining our legal rights, like all companies, as this issue does not only concern Zenith but the entire sector,” he continued.