Universal service electricity accounted for 13 pct of consumption in March

Photo: SCANPIX

Customers using the universal service bought 13 percent of the total amount of electric energy bought in Estonia during March, three percentage points less than in February.

Eighty-seven percent of the total amount of electricity consumed was purchased via open market contracts, the transmission system operator Elering said on Friday.

The average amount of electricity consumed by users of the universal service is clearly smaller than that consumed by customers having an open market contract. Of the total number of metering points 30 percent use the universal service and 70 percent have an open market contract. During the month the share of customes having a contract grew by roughly two percentage points.

Of the customers having a contract 83 percent have a fixed-term contract and 17 percent a contract for an indefinite term.

The number of open market customers that switched to a different seller from the beginning of April was 1,009.

The market share ratios of balance providers based on electricity consumption, including electricity purchased via universal service, were as follows:

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Balance provider	March 2013	February 2013	January 2013
Eesti Energia balance portfolio	73.4	72.5	72.9
incl VKG Energia	2.2	1.2	2.0
Elektrum Eesti OU balance portfolio	10.6	10.8	10.6
Baltic Energy Services OU balance portfolio	8.3	8.4	8.3
incl 220 Energia OU	1.7	1.7	1.6
incl TS Energia OU	1.3	1.3	1.5
incl VKG Elektrivorgud OU	1.3	1.2	1.1
incl Sillamae SEJ AS	0.7	0.7	0.7
incl AS Loo Elekter	0.2	0.2	0.3
Nordic Power Management OU balance portfolio	2.7	2.6	2.7
incl Imatra Elekter AS	1.6	1.6	1.6
incl Eesti Gaas AS	0.1	0.2	0.1
Elektrimuugi AS balance portfolio	1.1	1.2	1.1
Electricity purchased by Elering to cover electricity losses	4.0	4.5	4.4