This webinar is the first from the Webinar Series on Implications of the Global Pandemic on Tariff Design and Utility Finances.

In Europe and select U.S. states where utilities are unbundled, suppliers may face significant constraints due to lack of payments or delayed payments. During this session expert panelists will discuss the following main topics:

• What are the potential impacts on utility cost recovery plans?
• As a growing number of customers default on their electric/ gas bills, what happens if bad debts are transferred from the supplier to the utilities and tensions regarding payment transfers increase?
• What is the appropriate role of the regulator in ensuring the financial viability of utilities in competitive markets?

The objective of this webinar series is to examine how regulators can consider the short and long-term implications of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the energy sector, with respect to tariff design and consideration of the financial status of utilities.
 
This series will discuss the practical tariff treatments that regulators can consider as the impacts of the pandemic continue to play out.  Whether the sector is unbundled or vertically integrated, all utilities are facing issues that have never been encountered before. The expert panelists will contextualize a variety of tariff-related issues and potential treatments, discussing the implications regulators should consider. For example, while deferrals on payments provide relief for consumers (which may be prudent given the massive unemployment resulting from COVID-19), utilities need to avoid being put into a situation that potentially harms their long-term economic viability.