At that moment, changes to regulated gas rates sparked a surge in tariff requests, including the last-resort tariffs that remain in place. Competition authorities opened an information file for the four major gas suppliers—Naturgy, Iberdrola, Endesa, and TotalEnergies—still active in the market.
CNMC began requesting monthly reports from these large suppliers about the technical and personnel resources they deploy to handle the flood of rate-change requests. The information covers answered and missed calls, average wait times, and the number of registrations, prompted by consumer complaints about long waits due to limited information and the challenges of meeting contract terms.
Mass transfer of gas customers accelerating: 200,000 households switch to subsidized rate in one month
Competition decided to maintain this information requirement for companies at least through the end of April while reassessing whether to continue or suspend the surveillance. The request now extends beyond regulated rates that private customers can contract, to include the new neighborhood rate for owner communities.
While the decision on keeping the information file open remains pending, CNMC has not moved to sanction the major energy companies. Official sources tell EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA that initiating disciplinary actions would require clear evidence of violations, which could lead to sanctions against groups.
The fact sheet represents an initial step in CNMC’s audit process for regulated industries. In many cases it serves as a notice that allows companies to correct actions before any disciplinary case is opened. In this situation, the agency believes it is functioning as intended.
Supplements and “normality”
Competition identifies ongoing competition challenges. There was significant attention to the surge in contract-change requests in September and especially October, which led to concentrated customer loads. Yet this subsided toward the second half of November thanks to reinforcements from energy suppliers in the marketing channels of their subsidiaries. Consequently, the agency notes that no disciplinary case is currently being considered.
INE will also change how it measures the price of gas in full swing due to state aid.
The CNMC administration is exploring the possibility of introducing permanent preventive measures to prevent future disruptions. The plan includes ensuring that regulated-rate marketers offer an online contract channel on their websites that is as accessible as phone or in-person channels, rather than relying solely on traditional methods.
TRANSFER CONTINUES
Major energy companies continue to see a large number of customers move to regulated natural gas rates, aided by government measures intended to lower bills during the energy crisis. After the initial surge in recent months, contract transfers have not slowed and have intensified this year. A comparative view shows a trend where the regulated tariff base declines while free-market tariffs grow.
In the wake of government support, these groups added nearly 200,000 new customers to regulated gas rates within January alone. A broader shift, with almost 550,000 registrations at the regulated rates, was recorded in the final months of last year, reflecting substantial discounts applied by the state.
Currently, around 2.2 million households have contracted regulated gas rates, a level above the previous volume, as the government’s aid scheme last October set the framework. Meanwhile, the free gas market, where prices are set by companies, remains larger in scale, constrained only by a maximum limit on price increases since the prior year.
“Transparency of Spanish electricity companies is light years ahead of other countries”
The free-market rates still hold a dominant position, estimated at about 6 million customers, though the segment has seen noticeable price increases due to revaluations in contracts and higher gas costs on international markets.
Last October, the government introduced a package of measures to lower regulated gas prices, including a crisis shield with substantial aid. The measures aim to cap increases in regulated gas tariffs for more than 2 million customers through 2023 and, at the same time, create a new discounted tariff for centralized neighborhood communities, currently involving about 2,000 communities.