Energy services regulatory agency receives about 60 intervention requests after hundreds of complaints

Operators and Procedures

The company most frequently targeted by these complaints is E-Redes, responsible for operating the distribution network in most of the continental territory, including the Leiria region. ERSE pointed out that even when the customer files a complaint with the retailer, most cases end up being directed to the network operator.

The regulatory body specified that customers' complaints must initially be submitted to both the retailer and the network operator. ERSE's intervention only occurs after the complainant disagrees with the response obtained from the involved companies.

Furthermore, ERSE receives complaints registered in the complaints book (both electronic and physical) and subsequent responses for the purpose of verifying possible regulatory infringements.

Mediation and Compensation

ERSE will inform the complainant who used the complaints book as soon as it receives the company's response, informing them that they have the option to request the agency's intervention. In this scenario, ERSE will seek to mediate the conflict resolution outside the judicial scope if the consumer disagrees with the company's response.

ERSE's complaint classification system, aligned with that of the complaints book, allows categorization as technical service quality. This category covers most complaints generated by storms, as well as initial interruptions of the year caused by increased consumption due to cold.

Considering the possibility of service quality failure and the potential right of customers to compensation, ERSE mentioned that the Quality of Service Regulation guarantees automatic compensation to customers whenever the regulatory limits for the duration or number of annual electricity supply interruptions are exceeded.

These compensations are covered by the network operators and are automatically applied to the retailer's bill in the year following the occurrence. However, the granting of these compensations to consumers depends on the incident being classified as non-exceptional.

If ERSE classifies the incident as an exceptional event (a situation still pending a decision regarding the Kristin depression), this does not guarantee the right to individual compensation payments to customers.

Climate Impact in Portugal

Between the end of January and the beginning of March, Portugal recorded at least 19 deaths due to the passage of the Kristin, Leonardo, and Marta depressions, which also left hundreds injured, displaced, and relocated. More than half of these fatalities occurred during recovery work.

The periods of bad weather, which affected the continental territory for about three weeks, concentrating in the Central, Lisbon, Tagus Valley, and Alentejo regions, resulted in the total or partial destruction of thousands of residences, businesses, and equipment. Additionally, there was the falling of trees and structures, cuts in energy, water, and communications, floods, and overflows, causing estimated damages of more than five billion euros.