RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, wants to examine if any leeway exists for a reduction of the RES-supporting ETMEAR surcharge included in electricity bills.

The authority’s president, Athanasios Dagoumas, has forwarded a letter to the energy ministry requesting an official update on the RES special account’s surplus level at present as the most recent update offered by RES market operator DAPEEP covered the year’s first quarter.

The RAE official also asked to be informed on any possible transfers of RES special account surplus money for other uses, which would be factored into the authority’s calculations examining the possibility of an ETMEAR surcharge reduction for consumers.

RAE has regained authority to set ETMEAR levels after the task had been transferred to the energy ministry for two years.

Rather than use RES special account surplus money to reduce the ETMEAR surcharge for consumers, the government has, so far, preferred to transfer excess money to the Energy Transition Fund to finance energy subsidies offered to households and businesses.

Two amounts have been transferred from the RES special account to the Energy Transition Fund this year, a 780 million-euro sum in March, followed, just days ago, by 320 million euros.

DAPEEP has forecast a 1.55 billion-euro surplus for the end of 2022, based on first-quarter figures. A forecast revision is expected as market conditions have changed drastically in recent months.