“T Plus” PJSC paid a 650 000 RUB fine

Earlier Sverdlovsk OFAS recognized that the heat supplier (“T Plus” PJSC in the person of its Sverdlovsk branch) violated Part 1 Article 10 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”: avoiding participation in verifying whether a meter station of a consumer (“Sozvezdie” Managing Company” Ltd.) was ready for operation under unreasonable reduction of the operation clearance period for the heating energy meter station. It infringed (could infringed) the consumer interests in determining the quantity of consumed energy in accord with the meter station data.

OFAS issued an injunction to eliminate the violation. The heat supplier needs to undertake all  possible measures to devise and disclose on the official web-site  the regulations for interaction with heat energy consumers with regard to involvement in regular check-ups of hear energy meters, heat carrier in order to exclude incidents when acts of regular meter stations check-ups have the operation clearance expiry date earlier that the expiry of check period of its elements or beginning of the next heating period after the inspection, and ensure mandatory  appearance of a representative of the heat supplier to be involved in regular check-ups of meter stations before expire of the clearance period specified by the heat supplier  in the acts of regular meter stations check-ups. OFAS also imposed an administrative fine upon “T Plus” PJSC: 650,000 RUB.

“T Plus” PJSC disagreed with OFAS decision and injunctions and filed a lawsuit to Sverdlovsk Regional Arbitration Court.

Having studies the case materials, Court supported OFAS and dismissed the claim.