The draft federal law On Amending Individual Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in Connection with Tightening Payment Discipline for Energy Users was developed by the Russian Ministry of Energy.
The draft law provides for introducing the following provisions in the Code of Administrative Offences and the Federal Law On the Electric Power Industry:
1) Determining the amount of legal penalties for violations by consumers of their obligation regarding timely payment of electricity bills (electricity transmission services). The proposed amount of legal penalties will encourage consumers and buyers of electricity (transmission services) to take proper care of their payment obligations, since many buyers currently do not fulfill their corresponding obligations on time, or, in other words, they have guaranteed supply companies, energy supply and grid operators cover their energy costs for a certain period of time.
2) Clarification of existing regulations aimed at introducing a system of payment guarantees by consumers, and limited supplies of electricity which may lead to adverse economic, environmental, and social consequences (“non-disconnectable consumers.”) Plans are in place to have executive regional bodies of the Russian Federation draw up a list of such consumers with appropriate guarantees of fulfilment by these consumers of their payment obligations regarding the energy used by them.
3) Clarification of the provisions of the Code of Administrative Offences regarding liability for unauthorised connection to the infrastructure grids or non-metered use of electricity or other energy resources – increasing the penalty amount for this type of offence.
The draft law was reviewed and approved at a Government meeting on September 19, 2013.
