Electricity suppliers forwarded 360,644 supply cut orders to the distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO in 2019, most of these presumably targeting regular electricity bill dodgers. A total of 227,418 orders were executed, indicating the operator has toughened its stance, data released by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, has shown.

Nearly half of these consumers, or 111,298, who had their electricity supply cut by DEDDIE/HEDNO rushed to either fully settle amounts owed or register for installment-based payback programs in order to be reconnected to the network by the operator.

Subsequently, a considerable number of consumers, 116,120 in total, were left without electricity. 

Some of the electricity supply cut orders forwarded by suppliers to the distribution network operator may have been initiated by consumers no longer wishing to be serviced for a variety of reasons, including vacant property. The number of such cases was not specified in the RAE report.

Interestingly, suppliers submitted a total of 310,333 requests to cease representing consumers in 2019. Of these, 280,962 were executed by the operator.

Suppliers made these representation-ending requests in response to delays by the operator to execute supply cut orders for unpaid bills. As a result, unreliable and unwanted consumers were transferred to the country’s universal supply service, offering higher-priced electricity supply as a last resort.