ERSE carries out  surveillance and inspection activities on companies subject to its regulation and oversight - namely network operators and other regulated infrastructures and energy suppliers - as regards matters falling within its powers.

These actions may be triggered, regardless of prior appointment, for the purpose of investigating complaints that have been brought to the attention of this Authority.

Checks and inspections are a way of monitoring the practices followed by regulated operators, allowing ERSE to fulfil, among others, the following objectives:

• To ensure compliance with the legal and regulatory provisions applicable to its regulated operators
• To ensure compliance with ERSE’s instructions and decisions
• To better support the consolidation of regulated tariffs’ allowed revenues
• To check compliance, on the part of agents in regulated sectors, with public service obligations
• To monitor fulfilment of quality of service standards
• To act following consumer complaints

The monitoring of compliance with rules subject to ERSE’s surveillance is carried out by ERSE’s own means or by duly accredited qualified entities with high levels of quality and independence criteria, and comprises activities carried out on site or off site. ERSE collects data and other elements from operators; it promotes visits to sites; carries out technical tests; programmed or extraordinary audits and inspections, many of which support the definition of allowed revenues through the application of regulated tariffs. Some of the inspections conducted involve sensitive and confidential information.