The National Markets and Competition Commission CNMC has opened a formal information file focused on large players in the natural gas sector. The inquiry examines whether a surge of customers transferring to regulated gas tariff plans is being hindered by a government multiyear aid package. The move signals heightened scrutiny of how major suppliers handle rate changes and customer onboarding during a period of policy-driven price relief.
According to CNMC, the agency has requested detailed information from the principal gas marketers about the staff and technical resources deployed to process regulated rate changes in recent weeks. The inquiry covers key players in the sector including Naturgy, Endesa, Iberdrola, and TotalEnergies, aiming to understand how these firms manage the surge of demand for regulated contracts and whether service delivery bottlenecks are contributing to delays.
As reported by El Periódico de España from the Prensa Ibérica group, the information file represents the initial phase of potential audits CNMC can conduct in regulated industries. In many cases, the document serves as a warning to operators to adjust practices and reinforce customer service. Depending on what the agency uncovers, there is a possibility of disciplinary actions or formal investigations that could lead to sanctions against certain companies.
The investigation was announced by Sara Aagesen, State Secretary for Energy, in an interview with radio broadcaster RNE and subsequently confirmed by the competition authority. CNMC chief Cani Fernández stated last week that there were no significant bottlenecks in processing rate-change requests and noted that the largest marketers had agreed to handle such requests with greater agility for regulated gas tariffs. A subsequent decision approved a further information file on the same topic.
Government officials in the Ministry for Ecological Transition are coordinating with energy firms and CNMC to ensure measures meet the growing demand. Officials are sizing tools and resources to participate effectively in what is described as an avalanche of contract-change requests, according to the Secretary of State for Energy.
The government has introduced a substantial package of measures aimed at reducing gas bills for more than three million households. The plan includes a 3 billion euro anti-crisis shield designed to continue limiting price increases under existing law, extending protections for around 1.5 million customers of regulated gas rates through 2023. The framework also contemplates the creation of a new tariff type intended to halve the bills for 1.7 million homes with central heating in their area.
Major gas companies are now required to offer alternative regulated rate options such as the last-resort rate. In recent days, customers have flooded providers with questions about switching to regulated options, and industry observers note a shift toward a notable contraction in the number of customers on regulated rates in the long term as the market evolves. The overall customer base increasingly leans toward free market rates, where prices are set by each company in response to international hydrocarbon trends, though regulated prices have historically been capped and updated periodically by government mandates in response to market moves. As of the latest year-end data, roughly 6.5 million customers were on free market rates, with about 1.5 million still on regulated schemes.
The government remains committed to backstopping the cost of these relief measures and is prepared to allocate the necessary public budget to address the financial gap created within the Spanish gas system. The royal decree approved by the Cabinet set out an exceptional loan of 3,000 million euros to cover these expenditures, with a pledge to increase the figure if required to close the gap by the end of 2023. The intention is to prevent any disruption to households and to sustain the ongoing transition in the gas market as policy measures take hold.