The energy policeman launches an investigation against an electricity supplier suspected of abuse – Le Monde

Beware of excessive margins: the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) has launched proceedings against an alternative electricity supplier – which it did not name – due to suspicions of resale at high prices. “A procedure has been launched for abuse of Arenh [accès régulé à l’électricité nucléaire historique] “, That is to say the mechanism by which suppliers buy cheap nuclear electricity from EDF, explained the CRE, Friday, September 9, confirming information from the Parisian. According to the newspaper, this investigation targets Ohm Energie, founded in 2018 and which claims 250,000 customers. Contacted by Agence France-Presse, the supplier said “not to have received any notification from CRE concerning the launch of a procedure against it”. The independent authority, chaired by former minister Emmanuelle Wargon, suspects the operator of having bought nuclear electricity from the Arenh and resold it on the markets at a higher price. Facts contested by Ohm Energie, which claims to have “never sold the slightest kilowatt hour of the Arenh on the markets”, according to its president, François Joubert, a former EDF engineer. “Wearing the hat” “Its prices after the increase remain lower or equivalent to those of its competitors and (…) it intends to maintain them all winter without an additional increase”, the company further argued. “We are trying to blame the [fournisseurs] alternatives, while the authorities have an obligation of neutrality. (…) The responsibility for the crisis is not to be found among the alternatives, but more in a catastrophic unavailability of nuclear power,” Joubert told AFP. CRE’s investigations may lead to a referral to the Dispute Resolution and Sanctions Committee (Cordis), which may decide on any sanctions. At the end of August, CRE announced that it was strengthening its market surveillance, calling on suppliers “to adopt responsible behavior”, in the midst of soaring wholesale prices. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers “Electricity is not a good like any other, it is a public service” Le Monde with AFP