The increase sanctioned by the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE) in June will remain effective until September 30, 2026, impacting the 437,000 consumers who were still part of the regulated market that month.
In March, ERSE suggested a 4% tariff hike, which was later adjusted downward. This adjustment was mainly due to a roughly 9% reduction in the anticipated cost of natural gas procurement by last resort suppliers (CUR), following a decrease in oil prices in futures markets.
The decision, approved by the Tariff Council and other bodies in June, will result in a monthly natural gas bill increase between €0.36 and €0.21 for the most common consumption types (families without children and families with two children), the regulator detailed in a statement.
According to the regulator’s calculations, retail prices in the regulated market will have experienced an average annual increase of 4.6% in the final price over the last five years.
The regulator notes that in the free market, which had 1.1 million consumers by the end of February, prices fluctuate between suppliers and depend on the commercial offers contracted by customers.
The final bill for natural gas supply in both regulated and free markets includes the cost of network access tariffs, regulated by ERSE, which reflect the collective use of network infrastructure.
Customers with a social tariff, whether in the regulated or free market, continue to benefit from a 31.2% discount, referenced to the retail market’s regulated prices.
