Every consumer in the European Union is entitled to have their home connected to the electricity distribution network. The connection is provided by the network operator (HEDNO S.A. is the only electricity distribution network operator in Greece).

Universal service provider (USP)

The universal service provider (USP) within the meaning of Articles 56 and 58 of Law 4001/2011 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 179, 22.08.2011), as amended by Article 13 of Law 4643/2019, is required to supply small customers (households and small enterprises with a power supply of no more than 25 kVA) throughout Greece who:

fail to select an electricity supplier, and
are unable to find a supplier on the liberalised market based on current commercial terms.

Consumers are automatically placed on the universal service once they cease to be supplied by their most recent supplier of choice or on expiry of the period in which electricity was supplied by the supplier of last resort (SLR), provided that they:

have not switched to a new supplier, and
have not asked to be disconnected.

The network operator must send the SLR the particulars of customers placed on the universal service immediately (within 5 days of their being placed on the universal service). Within 10 days of receipt of their particulars, the SLR must notify the consumers concerned, by letter or email:

that they have been placed on the universal service;
of the terms of and charges for the universal service;
of their right to switch supplier whenever they choose.

Consumers can choose to switch supplier at any time.

Ministerial Decision YPEN/GDE/57469/2612/2020 (Government Gazette, Series II, No 2400, 17.06.2020), requires the five (5) suppliers with the biggest market share in the interconnected system based on the load declarations submitted to the Hellenic Energy Exchange in the month preceding the adoption of the Decision to act as USP for a period of 2 years from the assumption of that obligation. They are:

PPC S.A.
MYTILINEOS HOLDINGS
HERON THERMOELECTRIC S.A.
ELPEDISON A.E.
NRG TRADING HOUSE S.A.

Universal service customers are allocated in proportion to the ratio of meters between all five suppliers.

The charges applied for supplying electricity to universal service customers are calculated based on each supplier’s reference tariff for each category of customer (the tariff with the highest supply charge for daytime consumption by each category of customer) plus a 12% surcharge to cover the costs of providing the universal service.

N.B. The fact that a consumer rejected by other suppliers has been placed on the universal service because they have a number of outstanding electricity bills does not mean that their debts have been cancelled or reduced. On the contrary, if a consumer fails to pay any outstanding bills, legal action is taken to disconnect their electricity supply.

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