In 2012, in the heat energy sector the NCCPE was regulating 51 heat suppliers (34 were controlled by the municipalities, 17 were the undertakings operating on the basis of leasing (concession) agreements. The NCCPE performs the regulation of the heat energy suppliers producing over 10 GWh of heat energy per year (97.3 percent of the total heat energy quantity supplied to the district heating network in the country); the smaller heat supply undertakings are regulated by the municipalities.
In 2012, the NCCPE was also regulating 10 independent heat producers.
In 2012, the heat suppliers regulated by the NCCPE produced 9469.3 GWh of heat energy and serviced 680.2 thousand customers. In the market structure of the fuel used for the heat energy production the share of natural gas constituted 68.8 percent, the market share of heavy fuel oil – 3.3 percent, the market share of biofuel – 26.3 percent. Among 60 municipalities of Lithuania, in 37 municipalities natural gas constituted more than 50 percent in the structure of the fuel used for the heat energy production, and in 23 municipalities the respective percentage was made up by biofuel.
Figure 1. Predominant types of fuel used for heat energy production in individual municipalities in 2012
Source – Commission.
In 2012, the independent heat producers produced and supplied to the district heating network 1903.5 GWh of heat (i.e. 20.1 percent from the total heat quantity).
In 2012, the heat suppliers earned LTL 2 094.2 million in revenues (the costs by the undertakings accounted for LTL 1969.4 million). After assessing LTL 92.9 million of the recovered revenues, which were not received due to the difference between the actual fuel prices and the fuel prices which had been included into the heat energy price in the previous periods, the profit in the sector constituted LTL 31.9 million. Presently the permissible profit during setting the basic heat prices by the NCCPE is LTL 77.5 million.
In 2012, the heat supply undertakings regulated by the NCCPE made investments the value of which totaled LTL 201.1 million, among these LTL 36.9 million were the allocations from the European Union support funds.
In 2007–2012, in the overall structure of the investments made by the heat supply undertakings the biggest part is represented by the equity and borrowings of the heat supply undertakings – approx. 70.9 percent, the part of the investments financed from the European Union funds in the overall structure of the investments varied from 9.1 percent in 2009 up to 18.1 percent in 2012; the part of the state and municipality subsidies constituted 2.3 percent (in 2012) – 2.6 percent (in 2008).
