"We have a clear preference for public funding, from the State Budget, but we have presented three possible models and the last one, which is a third best, is this [the current one]", stated, in parliament, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ERSE, Pedro Verdelho, who was called to provide clarifications on the electricity social tariff in the Environment and Energy Committee, at the request of the PS.

In mid-April, ERSE published the directives for the new model for sharing the funding of that support, estimating that it will cost 44.4 million euros to producers and 92.1 million to marketers in 2024.

To this amount, 14.8 million euros (5.3 to electricity producers and 9.5 to marketers) must also be added, referring to the period from 18 November to 31 December 2023, since the model has retroactive effects to the approval of the amendment by the previous Government.

The directives took effect on 1 April and marketers are free, if they so wish, to pass on the costs to the final consumer.

In the previous model, the costs of the electricity social tariff were charged to the largest producers, but, last year, the European Commission agreed with the complaints filed by EDP, which led to the sharing of costs with a wider group of companies.

Today, the chairman of the energy sector regulator presented three possible funding models to the deputies, which result from an ERSE study published in 2019, considering that the most advantageous is funding from the State Budget, as it is neutral for the market, transparent in reflecting costs and simple to administer and monitor.

The "second best" would be funding through a value discriminated in the invoice, with ERSE recalling that the contribution to audiovisual (CAV) is paid on the electricity bill and is higher than the social tariff (about 180 million euros per year, 2.85 euros per month).

Pedro Verdelho also added that a mixed model between the one currently in force and the public funding model "is also a good option".

Questioned by the PSD about the charging of interest on the retroactives for the period from 18 November to 31 December 2023, Pedro Verdelho confirmed that it is being done.

"There were a few months of deviation here, there were also a few months between the 2023 funding and the decision and, of course, this issue has financial charges, but we are not talking about default interest, they are minor things calculated based on the adjustments used in the tariff calculator", he explained.

When questioned by the PS about whether the previous socialist government had room for manoeuvre to make the change in the funding model differently, the chairman of ERSE said that it was advisable to change the model because there was litigation and, if nothing was done, there would be a "contingency in the sector of more than 500 million euros", referring to all the values of funding for the social tariff in recent years.

"The transition to a more balanced model was advisable, precisely to relieve consumers from paying this contingency", stressed the head of the regulator.

Questioned by Chega about whether the regulator considers it fair for REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais not to contribute to the funding of that support, the chairman of ERSE clarified that the grid operators are involved in the process, although they are not discriminated in the published directives, since, for the support to be neutral for the market, it is accounted for in the grid access tariffs, that is, the grid operators "present these discounts upfront, which they will later receive from the producers".

The electricity social tariff consists of a 33.8% discount on regulated market prices, for families with lower incomes and, according to the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG), it benefited 759,196 households in May of this year.

Leia Também: Eletricidade. Aprovado alargamento do IVA a 6% a 3,4 milhões de famílias (Portuguese version)