A package of regulations regarding the connection of non-residential customers and prosumers to the electricity and natural gas networks of public interest was approved by the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE). This will allow access to electricity and natural gas to an increased number of users and, at the same time, will support future non-residential final customers whose consumption places are supplied through connection installations with lengths of up to 2,500 meters.
Thus, for non-residential customers, the concessioning distribution operators have the obligation to finance and carry out the design and execution works of the connection installation, with the subsequent recovery by the operator of these costs through distribution tariffs, in case the length the connection installation is of up to 2,500 meters. If the length of the connection installation is of over 2,500 meters, the concessioning distribution operators have the obligation to finance and carry out the design and execution works necessary to achieve the objective/pipeline, and the applicants, future non-household customers, finance the works necessary for the connection installation.
The design and execution works of the connection installation are carried out by the concessionary distribution operators in a competitive regime by concluding contracts with the observance of the competitive principles with any of the economic operators certified by ANRE. The user may opt for the direct conclusion of a contract for these activities with a certified economic operator of his choice, in which case the user pays the costs for the design and execution of the connection installation to the chosen certified economic operator and the distribution operator will reimburse the user within a maximum of 5 years from the date of commissioning of the connection installation, in equal annual installments.
The term for making the connection, including the reception and commissioning of the connection installation, is of a maximum of 90 days from the date of obtaining the agreement or authorization for the connection installation.
At the same time, non-residential final consumers who benefit from connection installations with network lengths of up to 2,500 meters financed by the concessionaire distribution operators have the legal obligation to use and keep the destination of the place of consumption for a period of 5 years from the date of commissioning of connection installations. The rules also apply to prosumers who have installations for the production of electricity from renewable sources with installed capacities of up to 100 kW per place of consumption.
