ERC: Obligation to provide heating remains in place until license is issued to new operator
Skopje, 26 September 2022 (MIA) – The obligation to carry out regulated production of heating energy ends on the day when a license is issued to a new operator, said the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), after the BEG heating energy provider said earlier on Monday it has no obligation to resume operations in the coming heating season.
According to the ERC, carrying out the operation of heating energy production by a regulated provider is precisely defined in the Law on Energy, whereby the basic imperative of the provider is to ensure reliable, continuous and high-quality production of heating energy.
“The Law on Energy, which got the green light from the Energy Community, fully incorporates all the provisions of the European legislation regarding reliable, stable and continuous energy supply. In that spirit, the ERC makes decisions specifying that until a new operator is selected, the current operator's obligation to provide heating energy does not end. The obligation to carry out regulated production of heating energy ends on the day when a license is issued, in this case to a new operator,” said the ERC.
The heating energy provider, the company BEG, whose licenses were revoked in June this year due to insolvency as a result of high natural gas prices, said earlier on Monday there is no legal foundation to manage the heating plants, it has no obligation to resume the operations in the coming heating season and it has no financial opportunity and loan capacity to procure fuel to produce heating energy.
Following BEG’s statement, the Government also said that BEG has to provide heating energy until a new economic operator is selected.
After the Energy and Water Services Regulatory Commission in June decided to terminate the issuing of licenses for heating energy supply to the company BEG, the government issued public calls to select companies for production, distribution and heating supply. The bids sent to the government calls to select a company to produce, distribute and provide heating energy to consumers in parts of Skopje were publicly opened on September 13. Three companies submitted bids which are being currently evaluated.
