Consumers in the low-voltage normal (BTN) category with contracted power up to 20.7 kVA can now change their tariff options at any time, switching between single, bi-hourly, and tri-hourly rates without the current 12-month commitment, as announced by the regulatory body in a statement released on Monday.
This change allows for the free selection of tariff options that align with the offers available in the liberalized market, the statement added.
In addition to this modification, ERSE will soon release the study on time periods in mainland Portugal, with preliminary results presented earlier during the tariff decision for 2025.
Based on this study, the regulator will also shortly open a public consultation on proposed changes to the current time periods.
Approved following a public consultation process, the Tariff Regulation (RT) for the Electricity Sector updates regulation mechanisms and methodologies, focusing on permitted revenues and tariff structures, within the framework of the new regulatory period from 2026 to 2029.
Regarding permitted revenues, the changes outlined in the RT are part of ERSE’s strategic approach to “promote rigorous regulation that encourages efficient management of regulated activities, adapted to the current context of decarbonization and decentralization in the electricity sector.”
The regulation by incentives using TOTEX methodologies is enhanced at the level of network activities in the mainland, promoting digitalization and flexibility solutions over more conventional investment options necessary to ensure an electrical system suitable for decarbonization contexts, it details.
New incentives are introduced as well, such as those related to the technical performance of system-wide management and the technical performance of transmission and distribution networks.
In the first scenario, greater participation in the system services market is encouraged, promoting more competition and more tools for system control by the system manager.
In the second scenario, ERSE emphasizes incentives that promote the discovery and offering of network capacity margins under the access with restrictions model, satisfying more capacity needs on both the supply and demand sides, leading to better network utilization and consequently, more affordable access prices for all consumers.
