Electricity suppliers appear to be leaving a credit-availability option covering 30 percent of regulated-charge payments to operators for tougher times.

Just four suppliers have advantage of the measure since it was introduced by the government about a month ago to ease the pressure on suppliers of payment obligations to power grid operator IPTO, energypress sources informed.

Despite needing to deal with bigger electricity-bill payment delays by customers, suppliers, who depend on these payments to collect surcharges and relay the amounts to operators, have yet to feel extreme cash-flow pressure amid the unfavorable market conditions, market officials explained.

Suppliers are fully aware of the fact that any regulated charges not paid now will need to be settled four months down the road, along with other obligations at the time.

This threat is making suppliers tread carefully at present to avoid an accumulation of future payments too big to handle.

Suppliers must fully cover 70 percent of regulated charges, plus VAT, in order to qualify for the credit offer covering the other 30 percent.