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The Ministry announces that it has recently received repeated complaints from consumers about information sent to Ignitis about its offerings as an independent provider. According to the ministry, even those consumers who have not entered the first stage of deregulation receive offers.
The complaints also point out that these users have not consented to the transfer of their data to independent providers, raising the question of how and on what basis Ignitis obtained and used this personal data of users.
The Ministry states that to ensure a level playing field for all electricity providers, it asks VERT to assess whether Ignitis, as a public provider and independent provider, is not abusing its position.
Ignitis, for its part, comments that its offers as an independent provider to existing plans were received only by customers who had subscribed to the company’s newsletters on future developments in the electricity market or by those who had submitted direct marketing consents.
“In order to provide even greater clarity to customers and take their comments into account, we now note in letters sent to residents that the customer has received the letter because they have given direct marketing consent. We also note that up to December 10 of this year, only private customers consuming at least 5,000 kWh per year should choose an independent electricity supplier, ”said Lukas Zadarackas, Ignitis representative, at BNS.
Amendments to the Electricity Law entered into force in June, which will gradually abandon price regulation in the electricity retail market in Lithuania by 2023, so that domestic consumers will have to choose independent electricity providers and enter into electricity supply contracts. electricity with them at a competitive unregulated price.
From January 1 of the following year, those domestic consumers who consume at least 5,000. kilowatt-hours of electricity, as well as domestic consumers whose objects are connected to medium-voltage electrical networks, except for vulnerable consumers.
There are about 98 thousand of these users in Lithuania. These residents received notifications from the public provider Ignitis on August 1 and had to express their disagreement by August 31 if they did not agree to share their electricity usage data with independent electricity providers.
All other electricity consumers who did not enter the first stage can also independently decide to choose an independent supplier already this year, but were not sent the prior notifications mentioned above.
Ignitis, managed by the Lithuanian state energy group Ignitis grupė, also operates as a public electricity supplier, from which most household consumers currently buy electricity, and the price of electricity is regulated by VERT.
The public information website, selectitetiekeja.lt, announces that currently five independent providers supply electricity to domestic customers: Ignitis, Elektrum Lietuva, Enefit, Inregnum, Perlas Energija.
It is not allowed to publish, quote or reproduce the information of the BNS news agency in the media and on the Internet without the written consent of the UAB “BNS”.
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