The number of users of a universal electricity supply service introduced almost a decade ago to cover the electricity needs of consumers shunned by suppliers for repeatedly failing to meet electricity bill payments increased by over 500 percent between late 2017 and the end of 2019, a RAE (Regulatory Authority for Energy) report commissioned by the energy ministry has shown.

The total number of the universal electricity supply service’s users grew from 22,127 in December, 2017 to 34,591 a year later, a 56 percent increase, before surging to 135,278 in December, 2019, a 511 percent increase.

The number of domestic users of the universal electricity supply service increased by approximately 38 percent between June, 2018 and June, 2019, rising from 20,423 users 28,252.

Non-household consumers using the service increased by roughly 16 percent during the aforementioned period, from 12,447 to 14,468.

Unpaid receivables by consumers using the universal electricity supply service, offered to sidelined customers at elevated tariffs, surged 511 percent between 2013 and 2016, from 5.6 million euros to 36.9 million euros, the RAE report showed.

Tougher terms are being prepared for the universal electricity supply service. RAE has proposed a three-month limit. No specific limit has existed until now. This has been exploited by a considerable number of electricity bill dodgers, or consumers deemed capable, even affluent, but unwilling to service accumulating electricity bills.