At the end of 2023, the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (Creg) presented a document that allowed trading companies with debts before the Administrator of the Commercial Exchange System (So C) and the Liquidator and Account Administrator (Lac) defer for four and two months a part of their debts with the electricity generators.
(See: Transforming the country’s energy sector is possible).
This is the expansion of one of the three transitory measures adopted by the Creg as part of the Pact for Tariff Justice, promoted by the Ministry of Mines and Energy in order to generate decreases in the price of bills to consumers, whose inflation closed at 2022 with an increase of 22.4% according to Dane.
This measure of extending the term to pay the debts before the two institutions (which later make the payment to the generators) will apply optionally so that the marketers extend the credits caused for periods between two and four months.
It should be remembered that the resolution of the creg that allowed these amortizations to be made, indicated that the amounts should be a maximum of 20% of the debt and would be applied to pay in the next 18 months.
(See: In December, energy prices rose again).
The measure (which was applied between October and December), generated deferrals of $193,923 million, of which 43% were made by Enel, whose balance for these three months was $84.770 million.
However, the creditors of these debts were mainly thermal generators, as well as electricity transmitters.
For this reason, Alejandro Castañeda, director of Andeg, pointed out that the way in which this measure works should be reconsidered, so that the financing to the marketers is not done at the cost of the thermal box.
Castañeda added that this measure at the time was taken to alleviate the marketersdespite the fact that there were no decreases in the tariffs of the public service.
For this reason, increasing without targeting could put the situation at risk generators financial.
(See: Chec and Essa, the companies that make the most energy purchases on the stock market).
“Thermal generators finance this debt at their own expense; what happens is that when the box runs out they will have to resort to the financial system to continue operating ”, assured the leader union.
For this reason, he asked that although this can be done type of measuresbe done in a focused way on the marketers that most need it and not for integrated companies whose financial situation You don’t need this kind of help.
(See: In December, 85.1% of the energy was generated with hydroelectric plants).
In turn, José Camilo Manzur, director of Asocodis, pointed out that this is not a structural measure to solve the cash difficulties of the trading companies, nor does it have implications for rates. For this reason, he considers that complementary measures to this proposal by the creg.
Balance of the decrease in prices
The Ministry of Mines and Energy promoted the Pact for Tariff Justice through which it sought to lower the prices of the electricity.
Although it was expected that there would be reductions between 4% and 8% with this agreement, between August and December, the decrease in the price of public service was 1.6%.
In addition, a slight increase was noted in the monthly balance for December, for the first time since the pact, with a rate of 0.8%, according to data from the Superintendence of Public Services.
DANIELA MORALES SOLER
Journalist Portfolio
