This year is likely to see changes in the retail electricity market, with Inter RAO Lietuva, the number-one power importer, launching an intensive search for new customers, it writes.
According to data from the National Control Commission for Prices and Energy, four independent power suppliers - Energijos Tiekimas, Latvenergo Prekyba, Enefit and SBE Energy - held the strongest positions in the retail electricity market last year.
Independent suppliers provided power to almost half of the country's end-users in late 2011. They expect to further raise their share of the retail market in 2012 after another large group of customers - small companies or institutions that have electric equipment with a capacity of over 30 kW - was released into the open market at the start of the year.
These consumers have to buy electricity from an independent supplier of their choice rather than from the state-controlled power distribution company Lesto.
Inter RAO Lietuva, which until now has focused on electricity imports and sales to other independent suppliers, also intends to work more actively with end-users and gain a foothold in the retail market this year.
According to the regulatory authority, Energijos Tiekimas achieved the highest increase in market share las year, to 18.6 percent in the fourth quarter from 9.6 percent in the first quarter, while Latvenergo Prekyba's market share fell to 14.2 percent from 19.5 percent over the same period.
