The energy mediator at work. Invited on RMC this Tuesday morning, the Minister in charge of Energy Transition returned to the case of French people who received huge energy bills, with regulations of several thousand euros. Two suppliers are particularly targeted: Eni, on the one hand, and Engie, on the other. “If they have bill problems, they must make written complaints to their supplier, and if the answer is not satisfactory, they can seize the energy mediator”, in particular via 0800 112 212 advised Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
The member of the government then returned to the specific case of the two suppliers. The first, Eni, admitted billing errors last week, she recalled. The company “is reimbursing 34 million euros this week, and 50 million euros” in the coming months, to nearly 100,000 customers. “These customers will pay, in 2023, the same price as those who are at the regulated rate at EDF, added the minister. The supplier’s managers “are committed to implementing corrective measures guaranteeing that their customers are indeed billed the price of the energy shield (frozen TRVe) for the year 2023”, specified his cabinet recently.
The second supplier, Engie, “had extremely advantageous contracts”, concluded when electricity prices were at their lowest, explained Agnès Pannier-Runacher. Customers then saw their prices explode. The Minister therefore asked the company to verify the absence of anomaly for the persons concerned, on the one hand, and that the customers are well informed, on the other hand. In addition, Engie must deal “on a case-by-case basis” with households and professionals who have received significant regulations, with “deadlines […] over a certain number of months”, in order to allow everyone to pay according to their means.
More broadly, the state will ensure that suppliers do not take advantage of the situation to line their pockets, warned Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The energy ombudsman will be on the lookout, as will the energy regulation commission (CRE), to which the minister “very clearly asked to carry out all the investigations and to take all the sanctions if there is abuses”. “It is inadmissible for energy suppliers to grasp this unprecedented situation of energy price increases”, sanctioned the member of the government, specifying however that this type of behavior had not been observed for the moment. Businesses are warned.
