Competition makes the surveillance of energy companies permanent due to barriers to the enormous change of customers.

The agency opened a fact sheet last week and requested information from all major energy companies to market regulated rates (Naturgy, Endesa, Iberdrola and Totalenergies) on the technical and personnel resources used to deal with rate change requests in recent weeks following complaints from a large number of consumers about waiting times, lack of information and difficulties in closing the contract.

Competition will keep it Continuous surveillance of four large groups to control their actions amid an avalanche of customers Trying to change the rate. The supervisor asks Naturgy, Endesa, Iberdrola and Totalenergies to update and provide new data as consumers are expected, on the operation of their telephone attention services each month, on the information available to the user to facilitate rate change. About suffering and applied reinforcements, as confirmed by sources from the agency to EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA from the Prensa Ibérica group.

Periodic requests for information from major energy companies are part of a week-long dossier. this informative file is the first step in auditing processes In many cases, what CNMC can do in regulated industries already works as a warning to travelers so that companies can correct their actions. Based on the information collected andThe institution may decide to open a disciplinary investigation. to certain companies that involve a formal investigation and may result in certain sanctions.

From the Ministry of Ecological Transition, led by the vice-president Theresa Rivera, It has been confirmed that CNMC has been informed through the companies’ web pages about allegations of major gas companies’ telephone line collapses and the difficulties customers face in accessing their regulated gas tariff contracts.

The government has launched a million-dollar package of measures to lower the gas bills of more than three million households, which triggered the massive customer transfer. A 3,000-euro anti-crisis shield envisions continuing to limit by law any increases in the regulated gas rate applicable to 1.5 million customers through 2023, as well as establishing a new type of rate that will reduce half the bill for 1.7 million homes with central heating in neighboring communities.

But the Executive Board guarantees to allocate the entire public budget necessary to close the millionaire gap that the new relief measures will create in the accounts of the Spanish gas system, and this could be triggered by this massive flight of customers towards regulated rates. As stated in the royal decree approved by the Cabinet this Tuesday, the Ministry of Ecological Transition will approve an exceptional loan of 3,000 million to cover the cost of these measures, but commits to “increase the amount of this item.” Necessary to close the real gap created by the end of 2023.

The main gas companies are obliged to offer different regulated rates. gas natural (known as the last resort rate, TUR) recorded an avalanche of questions from customers about their regulated hiring jump in the last few days and acknowledged a shift in trend towards a massive contraction of regulated rates years later. a shrinking customer base that ended at free market rates.

The number of customers benefiting from free gas market prices, the price of which is freely determined by the companies, is much higher than the customers of regulated enterprises, whose price is determined quarterly by the Government based on the evolution of international hydrocarbon prices, but there is a maximum limit to their increase since last year. With last year’s closing data, approximately 6.5 million customers contracted for free rates (more than 80% of the total) and 1.5 million continued at regulated rates.