The Ministry of Energy took note of the fines applied by the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) to four suppliers (traders) who manipulated the electricity market, fines that reached a record level of 537 million lei, the Ministry of Energy said in a press release. As a reminder, this was exclusively shown by HotNews.ro ANRE has sanctioned four electricity suppliers/traders with record fines, to manipulate the energy market in Romania. Among them are the companies about which HotNews.ro wrote that in 2022, at the height of the energy crisis, they made huge profits.

The four suppliers are Tinmar Energy, NOVA POWER & GAS, EFT Furnizare SRL and Freepoint Commodities Europe LLP.

Sebastien Bourduilla: This should be a signal to everyone who thinks they can get more profit if they don’t respect the law

Sebastián Burduja, Minister of Energy, claims that as early as August 2023, he publicly asked ANRE to check how suppliers in the gas and electricity market comply with the provisions of GEO 27/2022. Burduja states that the ministry does not have the legal right to control suppliers of private energy companies, but it must “perform its mission as a guarantor of the interests and protection of citizens, as a regulator of the legal framework for open and fair competition in the energy market.”

Sebastien Burduya says that the fines applied by NARE should be a signal to suppliers who break the law. “Those who violate the legislation and influence the energy market must respond in an exemplary manner. The record fines applied to four companies, more than 537 million lei, should be a signal to everyone who thinks they can make more profit if they don’t follow the law,” said the minister.

He wants to receive complaints to his e-mail address about such cases. “Since taking office, I have had a constant and positive dialogue with NARE on how suppliers in the gas and electricity market comply with the current legislation, since NARE is the only institution authorized to conduct these inspections. I also want to guarantee that I remain open to all notifications we receive from individuals and legal entities regarding such situations, and we forward them as a matter of priority to the attention of ANRE. In addition, my email address is public, sebastian.burduja@energie. gov.ro, and I guarantee you that we pay maximum attention to every complaint received,” the minister said.

The investigation was conducted jointly with the European agency

ANRE’s investigation into the electricity market, which has resulted in record fines being applied to four suppliers, was launched as a result of a notification by the Electricity and Natural Gas Market Operator – OPCOM SA, through reports of suspicious transactions, Tinmar Energy, one of the sanctioned companies, said . This case has huge implications, given that it concerns companies with a turnover of billions of lei, controlled by influential people.

Part of the investigations are conducted in cooperation with the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulatory Authorities – ACER, ANRE answered on the basis of the REMIT rules and the protocol concluded with ACER, to HotNews.ro’s request. “In order to communicate the results of these investigations, which are initiated after notification to ACER, it is necessary to go through certain stages of coordination with ACER. Once the necessary procedures have been completed, we will be able to communicate public aspects of the motivation, sanctions and economic entities to which sanctions have been applied. In addition, even in the case of investigations that are not initiated after notification to ACER, there are certain procedures that must be completed before ANRE can publicly notify,” ANRE also noted.

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