The National Agency for Energy Field Regulations (ANRE) granted another two licences for electric energy supplying to some independent producers, increasing to five the total number of companies that are competing with Electrica national supplier, Alexandru Sandulescu, a director within ANRE, told Ziarul Financiar.
"Our plan is to increase the number of electric energy suppliers so as to offer more options to local consumers and to get differentiated tariffs," Sandulescu stated.
He specified that the two licences were granted to producers CET Govora and Hidroelectrica, the rest of three being attributed to aluminum producer ALRO Slatina, to the Bucharest-based Grivco Energy company and to Trading MD 2000 company.
At the beginning of this year, ANRE allowed ten companies to choose their electric energy supplier, of the over 30 requests in this sense, as a first measure aimed at the liberalisation of the energy market. The measure came after the Government decided, through the GD 1222/2000, that a tenth of the electric energy consumption could be freely traded. "The five suppliers licenced by ANRE can sell electric energy only to these eligible consumers," Sandulescu explained.
For a company to become an eligible consumer, it has to register annual consumption larger than 100 GWh, it should hold no debts towards Electrica and should make proof of financial reliability. The ten companies that met conditions imposed by ANRE are Arpechim, Alro Slatina, Azomures Targu-Mures, Automobile Dacia, RATB, Lafarge Romcim Medgidia, SMR Bals, Cimus Campulung, CNL Oltenia Targu Jiu, Exploatarea Miniera Jilt and SNP Petrobrazi.
"We have set up standard tariffs for shipment and distribution for all licenced suppliers so as to create and boost competition," Sandulescu also said. ANRE thus settled an average price of 3.84 dollars/MWh for shipment and 1.35 dollars/MWh for distribution through high-tension lines.
"We will wait for Conel's full restructuring and for the Government to start privatising the distribution sector before completely liberalising the market," Sandulescu maintained.
He said that two of the distribution branches of Electrica, in Constanta and Timis counties, would be put out for sale by the end of the year 2000. The Government approved during this year the restructuring of the energy sector, laying thus the grounds for these privatisations.
According to the plan, Conel will be divided into several independent units that will handle power production, transport, distribution and supplies.
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