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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Nils Pratley

Even more energy suppliers are short of capital. Ofgem needs to toughen up

an Ovo log on a smartphone next to the blue flame of a lit stove gas ring
Ofgem doesn’t name the under-capital target firms but large suppliers Octopus and Ovo volunteered such a status last year. Photograph: True Images/Alamy

When half the nation’s retail energy suppliers, including Bulb with 1.7 million customers, failed during the gas crisis of 2021-22, the embarrassed regulator, Ofgem, decided it should probably pay more attention to companies’ balance sheets. Better late than never.

The cost of mopping up the corporate calamities added up to £2.7bn, or £94 on every household’s energy bill, calculated the National Audit Office.

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