The main power utility PPC’s retail electricity market share dropped sharply, by two percentage points, in September, to 83.56 percent from 85.55 percent in August, LAGIE, the Electricity Market Operator, has announced in its latest report.

This drop breaks a recent period of stagnancy during which PPC’s market share remained stable. The utility’s market share hardly moved between July and August. PPC held an 85.72 percent share of the retail market in July.

Also noteworthy, five independent suppliers have now broken the one-percent barrier.

Despite PPC’s sudden market share contraction in August, the utility remains a long way off the bailout’s end-of-year target, set at 75.24 percent. PPC would need to lose a further 8 percent by the end of December to reach this goal, a highly unlikely prospect.

All eyes are on the year’s final NOME auction next Wednesday, offering 718 MWH/h, well above previous amounts. The session is seen as crucial for the shape of the country’s retail electricity market in 2018. NOME auctions were introduced a year ago to offer independent suppliers access to PPC’s lower-cost lignite and hydropower sources.

Divided into voltage-based categories, PPC’s overall 83.56 percent market share for the month of September represents 11.49 percent in high-voltage supply, 17.02 percent in medium-voltage supply and 55.04 percent in low-voltage supply, according to LAGIE.

As for the independent suppliers, Heron topped the list with 3.92% (2.57% medium-voltage, 1.34% low-voltage), up from 3.30%.

Protergia, a member of the Mytilineos corporate group, followed with 3.82% (2.32% medium-voltage, 1.50% low-voltage), up from 3.48%.

Elpedison was next with 3.72% (0.2% high-voltage, 1.98% medium-voltage, 1.54% low-voltage), up from 3.27% a month earlier.

Watt + Volt followed with 1.37% (0.29% medium-voltage, 1.08% low-voltage), up from 1.23%.

NRG Trading registered a 1.13% share (0.76% medium-voltage, 0.37% low-voltage), up from 0.96%.

Volterra reached 0.94% (all medium-voltage), from 0.84%.

Green’s market share rose to 0.61% (0.22% medium-voltage, 0.39% low-voltage) from 0.55%.

OTE’s share was 0.29% (all low-voltage), marginally below the previous month’s 0.3%.

KEN registered 0.14% (0.08% medium-voltage, 0.06% low-voltage) from 0.1%.

ELTA (Hellenic Post) followed with 0.09% (0.04% medium-voltage, 0.05% low-voltage) from 0.08%.

Viener was next with 0.07% (all medium-voltage) from 0.06%.

The firm Growth remained steady at 0.06% (0.05% medium-voltage, 0.01% low-voltage).

Interbeton registered 0.05% (all medium-voltage) from 0.04%.

Volton’s market share was also 0.05% (0.01% medium-voltage and 0.04% low-voltage), from 0.04%.

Novaera’s share reached 0.04% (all medium-voltage), up from 0.02%.