ENERGO-PRO has been forced to suspend the electricity supply to administrative facilities of Shumen Plumbing and Meden Kladenets Plumbing due to liabilities amounting to over BGN 1.7 million
The company alerted the institutions about the problem, but to no avail
On July 25, 2013 ENERGO-PRO proceeded to a phased interruption of the electricity supply to administrative objects of Shumen and Plumbing Meden Kladenets, due to accumulated arrears for consumed electricity in the total amount of over BGN 1.7 million.
The planned outages will not affect facilities providing water supply in the respective regions.
The company is taking this extreme measure in order to reduce the damage it incurs from the unpaid obligations of the companies in an extremely difficult period of financial instability for it as a result of the pricing policy of the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DCEVR).
As of 22.07.2013, the debt of Plumbing Shumen OOD amounted to a total of BGN 1,510,363, of which BGN 1,193,159 were overdue. The liability of Plumbing “Meden Kladenets” EOOD on the same date is BGN 204,105. ENERGO-PRO has concluded an agreement for deferment of obligations with Shumen Water Supply System according to the possibilities of the water company for payment of its current electricity bills on time. Unfortunately, this agreement has been violated, since the amounts paid by Shumen Water Supply do not fully cover the obligations and they continue to grow.
The company is concerned to alert the institutions involved in the management and control of water supply companies about their inability to pay the obligations for consumed electricity on time. In search of a solution to deal with the problem, numerous meetings were held with the managers of the Shumen Water Supply and Water Supply System “Meden Kladenets”, and the representatives of the local authority were also informed. The company is taking the step of partially suspending the supply of electricity to administrative facilities of these customers as a last resort. The aim is to limit their constantly increasing obligation, pending an upcoming meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works in order to find a satisfactory and lasting solution to the problem.
Unfortunately, at present, the efforts made by the company to deal with the situation of increasing debts of the water utilities and the assistance provided by the companies themselves and the municipalities that are their owners remain fruitless. In the extremely difficult financial situation in which ENERGO-PRO finds itself, such obligations on the part of large customers threaten the company's ability to settle with electricity suppliers, including the state-owned National Electric Company (NEK), putting at risk the security of customers' electricity supply. The company cannot afford to credit its debtors, whether private, state or municipal companies, at the expense of all other customers who regularly and correctly pay their electricity bills.
“We are aware of the public importance of water utilities and in this regard, we have made extraordinary efforts to address the problem of growing debts and find a solution acceptable to both parties. As you know, ENERGO-PRO is in a critical financial situation and the company's losses due to the current pricing policy in the energy sector continue to grow. We provide a service in the public interest and are obliged to treat all our customers equally. We have no right to tolerate debtors to the detriment of our other customers who, despite the crisis, pay their electricity bills correctly. We hope for a timely and adequate response from the responsible institutions in order to save the inconvenience for both companies and customers.” - explained Mrs. Boryana Peneva, member of the Management Board of ENERGO-PRO Sales AD.
