29/07/2021

Given the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures decreed by the Government, ERSE - Energy Services Regulatory Authority, extends a set of exceptional measures applicable to energy supply services until 31 December 2021.

The approved regulation extends measures established in Regulation 180/2021, through which ERSE established exceptional measures within the National Electricity System and the National Natural Gas System, namely to frame and complement the prohibition of interruptions in effect during the first semester of 2021 and now extended by Decree-Law 56-B/2021, of July 7, until the end of 2021.

The measures aim to mitigate the impacts resulting from the prolongation of the Covid-19 pandemic, both in the current activity of most economic agents, including operators in the energy sector, and in normal relations between customers and those operators.

The obligation of suppliers to provide fractionated payment to customers affected by the pandemic, who are unemployed, with a drop in household income of 20% or more or infected with the disease COVID-19 is maintained.

It is also established the possibility of fractionation of the payment of electricity and/or gas invoices for the remaining customers, through the availability of payment plans in the sequence of unpaid amounts, to be implemented by request of the customer to its supplier.

In order to share the economic and financial effort throughout the energy sector value chain, the regulation once again provides that the amounts owed to network operators by suppliers will also be fractional. In the case of suppliers whose market share, on December 31, 2020, does not exceed 5% of the volume of energy traded, and which have an increase in their customers' debt of 30% or more, may continue to request from the network operator an additional moratorium on the payment of the respective network charges.

For more information access ERSE's Regulation.