The supplier of last resort (LSR) scheme for electricity and gas is to be halved from the current six months. This is envisaged in the amendment to the Energy Act, which is being submitted to the government by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The latter is due to discuss it on Wednesday.
The amendment has passed the comment procedure and should be discussed in the Chamber of Deputies on an accelerated basis in a state of legislative emergency. It is expected to come into force on 1 June.
Currently, the DPI regime lasts for six months. During that time, a customer whose previous supplier has stopped supplying them with energy must find a new supplier and enter into a contract. Once the six-month period has expired, the customer is in an unauthorized situation and risks being disconnected from the energy supply.
The amendment to the Energy Act should change this too. If a customer who has ended up in the DPI does not change suppliers within three months and pays properly for the supply of electricity and gas under the DPI regime, he will be obliged to pay indefinitely to the supplier of last resort after the expiry of the three months. The supplier shall inform the customer of this using a letter sent to the customer’s address.
In the case of electricity supply, the suppliers of last resort are currently, depending on the specific region, E.ON Energie (southern parts of the Czech Republic), Pražská energetika (Prague and its immediate surroundings), and ČEZ Prodej (central and northern parts of the Czech Republic). In the case of gas, E.ON Energie (South Bohemia), Pražská plynárenská (Prague and its immediate surroundings), and innogy Energie (the rest of the Czech Republic).
As of mid-October last year, 900,000 former clients of Bohemia Energy ended up in the DPI scheme. Due to the extreme rise in energy prices on the wholesale markets, around 20 suppliers have quit in the Czech Republic since last autumn. According to the explanatory memorandum, the DPI was used for the first time on this scale.