Does HEP stop liberalization of domestic electricity market? Robert Golob, chairman of Gen-I, Slovenian alternative power supplier, said these accusations recently for local medias. Reaction was not expected long. Ljiljana Čule, Director of HEP’s operator of distribution network, answers on Golob’s accusations and indicates on illogicalities and inaccuracies in the claims of the Slovenian Company’s boss.
When she was asked by journalist if HEP has “planned strategy for slowing down of turning customers toward alternative suppliers like Robert Golob claims, Čule answered “We are unpleasantly surprised and shocked by such accusations. We can conclude two things from it. Gen-I, its management and legal service are not familiar with regulatory frame determined by electricity trade in Croatia at all or they know current laws and intentionally attack HEP by using lies. No matter which of these conclusions is correct, it does not represent business or any other ethics which Gen-I wants to say to its existing and potential users.
However, it is a fact that there are some serious problems in consumers’ migration? Čule answers “All market participants are confronted with certain difficulties which are consequences of not well prescribed procedures, it is not HEP’s behavior. For example, Gen-I accuses us that we have planned strategy of market obstruction and that we have introduced deadlines for delivering requests for supplier’s replacement. However, these deadlines are prescribed by article 45. The same deadline is determined according the new Law for Electricity Market which is transferred from appropriate EU directive so it turns out that Gen-I’s President pressures HEP ODS to brake Croatian laws.
What about citizens that can’t change supplier because their OIB is not included in HEP’s data bases? Čule explains “Obligation for OIB delivery is not HEP’s innovation or fiction. Necessity of OIB delivery is also from the state’s laws. Fulfillment of individual data is in interest of buyers and protection to their consumer rights which is especially visible at the moment in the procedure of supplier’s replacement. HEP launched this process long time ago, but we need to remember it- when we ask our customers to deliver OIB and to check and confirm their data related to calculation measuring spot, we would be exposed to numerous attacks in public”.
HEP maybe isn’t responsible for the problems, but problems exist. When will they vanish? “Problems will be solved by making the Law for Supplier’s Replacement- bylaw act which is the duty of Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency. However, HEP ODS has stimulated temporary procedure of supplier’s replacement for households customers exactly because of concern for final customers and this law should solve bigger part of difficulties by the moment of making final rules. Gen-I is also familiar to the our plan, but they don’t mention it in the public. We have recently held a meeting where we reconsidered all opened questions and problems related to the replacement process and we accomplished the agreement for further procedures. And then sir Goloba’s interview followed…”
What do you think about it? “I believe that this media’s exception is the consequence of Gen-I Company’s impatience to use current occasions of low purchase electricity prices on EU markets and unsolved request from HEP for decreasing the amount of tariff items for electricity production. This is legit, but it is hypocritical to represent this kind of hunt for bigger payment as a concern for rights and benefit for buyers like sir Golob does. Does this exception meant that Gen-I does not intend to perform in Croatia sincerely, openly with a respect believing that the opposite approach will contribute the success on the market? I hope it is not like this because of all participants on Croatian market”, Čule concluded .
Source; Serbia Energy See desk/GENI-HEP
