Turkish media have听misrepresented the process to recover refunds on听charges on consumer' electricity bills for听losses of electricity in order to drag the country into chaos, Energy Market Regulatory Authority鈥檚 president said Tuesday.听
Turkey鈥檚 Court of Appeal听ruled recently that charges on electricity bills for听transmission听losses can be compensated through a legal process if consumers sue. The decision听paved the way for consumers to sue their distribution companies for repayment of the amount charged so far in their bills for transmission costs. The court ruled that the charges for distribution losses could not be raised by the distribution companies involved.
Electricity distribution companies insist that such听collections are听legal taking into consideration听the agreement made between the companies and the state when electricity distribution was privatized. The distribution companies听also claim听that听instead of the application of听civil law, regulatory law should apply to such cases.
Turkey suffers from 15 percent loss in electricity across the country while private power distribution firms are attempting to reduce this听number as much as possible. Most of the loss occurs from illicit domestic use of electricity. Every听electricity听bill in Turkey听has around 10-15 percent听distribution loss charges included.
"There is not a country with an听electricity system which does not face transmission and distribution losses," the president of EMRA, Mustafa Yilmaz told The Anadolu Agency, AA, at the Energy Markets Summit听in Ankara.
Yilmaz, stating that EMRA formed a balanced structure in electricity between producers and consumers,听said 鈥淲e work with empathy. We need to be just in energy, we need to look at听both sides. If there is injustice, there will not be peace. If there is no peace, there won鈥檛 be any production.鈥�
Yilmaz also said that, although there is an oversupply in electricity, there is a great interest from foreign investors in Turkey's energy听sector. He added that听they are very happy that investors choose Turkey and he听stressed that foreign investors would be attracted more听if the regulatory authority remains independent.
听"The investors trust Turkey's future,"听Yilmaz said and听added,听"Turkish energy production and distribution companies are meeting with foreign companies and听foreign investors are coming听to our country."
By Ata Ufuk Seker and Nihan Cabbaroglu
Anadolu Agency
auseker@aa.com.tr
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