NMa Carries out Supplementary Checks on Timeliness of Energy Bills

The Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa) has carried out supplementary checks in recent months and Delta and Oxxio. This resulted from the outcomes of its investigation into the administrations of the large energy companies. It appeared from the checks that on 1 September 2005 Delta had been able to eliminate its backlog in the processing of changes of address and switches. On the other hand, Oxxio still has a considerable backlog in the processing of changes of address and switches. For instance, the energy company still has to send final settlements for several thousand changes of address and applications for switches which were submitted before 1 January 2005. The regulator has therefore placed Oxxio under stricter supervision.

Oxxio has submitted a plan of action to DTe for the elimination of its backlogs before February 2006. DTe is monitoring the implementation of this plan of action closely. For instance, Oxxio is required to report to DTe monthly. If the plan of action is not implemented with sufficient speed, the regulator will take appropriate measures immediately.

In September of this year, NMa's Office of Energy Regulation (DTe) concluded that the six large Dutch energy companies (Essent, Eneco, Nuon, Delta, Greenchoice and Oxxio) had largely managed to eliminate their backlogs with regard to changes of address and switches. Only Delta and Oxxio appeared not to have fully complied with the agreement reached with Minister Brinkhorst and DTe to solve the administrative problems by 1 July 2005. DTe immediately informed Delta and Oxxio that the problems had to be solved by 1 September and that DTe would verify this.

To give consumers insight into the performance of individual energy companies on a structural basis, DTe publishes a quarterly scorecard on its website. The scorecard shows the situation per company with regard to the timeliness with which invoices are sent following a change of address or a switch. The timeliness with which annual settlements are dispatched is also published.