More power cuts for unpaid bills following Atrina tower, PPC warns

PPC’s debt collection service will, over the next few days, launch a mission focused on a number of corporations and individuals who owe millions of euros in overdue electricity bills to the power utility.

Last week’s power cut implemented by PPC on the Atrina Center Tower in Athens, for an unpaid overdue amount totaling 1.38 million euros, marks only the beginning of the campaign, PPC officials have warned. Power supply to the tower was reinstated following a partial payment.

Further power cut warnings for major debtors are expected to be made imminently, while consumers who have not heeded warnings already issued by the power utility will have their connections cut, PPC has stated.

The power utility’s recently appointed new leadership is expecting an in-depth update from its collection service on major-scale debtors within the current week, including details on their social and financial profiles. PPC suspects many of its debtors are able to cover unpaid electricity amounts but are not doing so as they have been taking advantage of greater leniency provided amid the ongoing recession.

“The Atrina example will be applied throughout Greece,” a PPC official noted.

PPC’s criteria will begin with categorization of amounts owed by consumers, followed by an examination as to whether debtors have made arrangements with the power utility for a pay-back program through installments and whether these are being serviced. If not, final warnings will be issued to consumers for payment and power cuts will be made in cases where there has been no response.

PPC officials admit that assembling social and financial profiles of major-scale debtors will not be an easy task.

“But it’s the only way through which we will be able to set collection targets and determine how much of the 1.8 billion euros [owed to PPC] in overdue unpaid electricity bills we will be able to recover,” a power utility official noted.

At present, over 500,000 electricity consumers are believed to have fallen behind on their PPC power bill payments, while thousands of these are suspected of being able but not willing to pay.