Filenews 25 September 2023 - by Chrysanthos Manoli
With its decision published last Friday 22/9/23 in the Official Gazette of the Republic, CERA (Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority) abolishes as of April 2024 the obligation of private electricity suppliers to cooperate only with customers who have STOD (Seasonal Time Of Day) meters, i.e. generally with commercial – industrial consumers.
This decision paves the way for the inclusion of household consumers in the clientele of private electricity supply companies and amounts to granting households the right to choose a supplier other than EAC. This right will come into effect on 1/4/2024.
However, for the time being, the electricity capacity (from renewable energy sources) available through the transitional arrangement in the electricity market is limited and will hardly allow the dynamic penetration of private suppliers into domestic electricity consumers in the short term.
Already their available capacity in the transitional arrangement (about 200 megawatts) is the subject of bilateral contracts with large commercial consumers. On the other hand, the construction and operation of new photovoltaic parks, to enhance the available power from RES, continues at an intensive pace.
The same regulatory decision abolishes a provision of the law that provided that RES producers who want to join the Transitional Regulation of the Electricity Market will have to be included under a draft support scheme of the Ministry of Energy.
