Monitoring of Energy Legislation June 2025

See the most important legal news in the field of energy for the month of June 2025.

A new decree by the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (RONI) has been published in the Collection of Laws of the Slovak Republic, establishing application templates for conducting business in thermal energy. An amendment to the Act on excise duty on electricity, coal, and natural gas was also announced.

RONI additionally informed about its intention to adjust the method of calculating the imbalance settlement price. RONI also issued a new model operating code for operators of local distribution systems and approved new operating codes for ZSD and VSD.

OKTE has started issuing confirmations on the application of guarantees of origin in an updated format. SEPS is proceeding with a further increase in capacity for connecting new and upgrading existing photovoltaic (PV) and wind power plants (WPP) by 170 MW.

Read more about these and many other interesting news in our monitoring for the month of June 2025, which you can also download in PDF format.

We wish you a pleasant reading!

1. WHAT HAS CHANGED?

Note: In our monitoring of energy legislation, we monitor for you the changes to the above-mentioned legal regulations, which were published in the Collection of Laws of the Slovak Republic last month.

■    New decree by RONI establishing application templates for conducting business in thermal energy

On 27 June 2024, the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (hereinafter referred to as "RONI") published Decree No. 167/2025 Coll. in the Collection of Laws of the Slovak Republic. This decree establishes application templates for conducting business in thermal energy and repeals RONI Decree No. 212/2005 Coll., which previously set the template for applications for permits.

The decree sets forth: (i) the application template for a natural person – entrepreneur seeking a permit to conduct business in thermal energy, and
(ii) the application template for a legal entity seeking such a permit,
in accordance with the enabling provision of § 5(8) of Act No. 657/2004 Coll. on Thermal Energy, as amended.

The new decree becomes effective on 1 July 2025.

The full text of the decree is available at this link.

■     Amendment to the Act on excise duty on electricity, coal, and natural gas

On 1 July 2025, Act No. 181/2025 Coll. was published in the Collection of Laws of the Slovak Republic. Among other changes, it amends and supplements Act No. 609/2007 Coll. on Excise Duty on Electricity, Coal, and Natural Gas, as well as Act No. 98/2004 Coll. on Excise Duty on Mineral Oil, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the „Act on excise duty on electricity, Coal, and Natural Gas“).

The amendment introduces several key changes, such as:

• Simplification of the registration process for authorized consumers who are already registered as tax payers,
• In line with the digitalization of communication between entities and the tax administrator, the obligation to present permits and registration certificates is being abolished,
• Removal of special provisions for compressed natural gas (CNG) under § 39a, since the currently applicable EU Council Directive 2003/96/EC does not distinguish between CNG and LNG for tax differentiation purposes — natural gas is subject to tax regardless of whether it is used in compressed or liquefied form,
• A new legislative framework for electricity sharing, intended to reflect current trends in energy policy.

The amendment is effective from 1 July 2025, with certain provisions coming into effect later on 1 September 2025.

The full text of the amended act is available at this link.

2. YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED

■     Draft act amending the Energy Act and other related laws

On 5 June 2025, the National Council of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter the “National Council”) discussed a government draft act amending Act No. 251/2012 Coll. on Energy and on Amendments to Certain Acts, as amended (hereinafter the “Energy Act”), as well as several related laws, specifically: Act No. 250/2012 Coll. on Regulation in Network Industries (the “Regulation Act”), Act No. 309/2009 Coll. on the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and High-Efficiency Cogeneration (the “RES Support Act”), Act No. 657/2004 Coll. on Thermal Energy, Act No. 391/2015 Coll. on Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes, Act No. 51/1988 Coll. on Mining Activities, Explosives, and the State Mining Administration, and Act No. 71/2013 Coll. on the Provision of Subsidies within the Competence of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, primarily in connection with the transposition of European Union legislation regarding the revision of the current internal electricity market framework, support for renewable energy, the internal market for natural gas, renewable gases and hydrogen, and methane emissions control (Document No. LP/2025/96).

The draft law primarily aims to transpose and implement the requirements related to the reform of the internal electricity market design, as set out mainly in Regulation (EU) 2024/1747 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on improving the design of the electricity market (hereinafter “Regulation (EU) 2024/1747”) and Directive (EU) 2024/1711 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on improving the design of the electricity market in the Union (hereinafter “Directive (EU) 2024/1711”). Trends in the redesign of the internal electricity market include, among others, the effective achievement of the Energy Union’s objectives and the goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest, as well as the integration of new system elements and market participants.

Another legislative act partially addressed by this transposition into Slovak law is Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023. The proposed draft law also partially transposes Directive (EU) 2024/1788 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on common rules for internal markets for renewable gas, natural gas and hydrogen, amending Directive (EU) 2023/1791 and repealing Directive 2009/73/EC.

The submitted draft amendment to the Energy Act introduces, among other things, the following changes:

• Legal regulation of electricity market participants,
• Legal framework for flexible connection agreements to support the development of renewable energy sources in areas with limited or no grid connection capacity,
• Legal regulation of electricity supply contracts or bundled electricity supply contracts with fixed prices for a definite period, along with related changes in consumer protection,
• Extension of obligations for distribution system operators to publish on their websites data on the number of accepted and rejected connection requests, available distribution capacity and its calculation, information on capacity reservation conditions, application procedures for connection to the distribution system, and submission requirements for electronic documentation,
• Legal framework for risk management of electricity suppliers,
• Legal regulation of support through a contract-for-difference scheme for electricity production from nuclear fuel,
• Legal framework for assessing the flexibility needs of the electricity system
• Legal provisions on administrative offences and penalties related to methane emissions.

The draft law further:

• Regulates the already existing activity of electricity sharing by consumers, which has so far been governed primarily by secondary legislation in Slovakia; however, the revised Directive (EU) 2024/1711 provides more detailed rules on sharing than the original Directive (EU) 2019/944.
• Introduces a new market activity: the electricity sharing coordinator, which has not previously been covered by any existing business activity in the energy sector. This role will be subject to a notification regime, and its aim is to support the development of electricity sharing among consumers and simplify administrative and related procedures.
• Grants final consumers the right to participate in electricity sharing on a non-discriminatory basis so that no end-users are excluded from participation.
• Prohibits suppliers from making the conclusion of electricity supply contracts or bundled supply contracts conditional on a ban or limitation on the amount of electricity that may be shared.
• Establishes that a single delivery or take-off point may only be assigned to one sharing group at a time, and protects active consumers from unfair or discriminatory treatment by balancing entities contractually responsible for supply or consumption deviations by explicitly allowing delivery and take-off points in one sharing group to be part of different balancing groups, in line with the directive’s requirements.
• Specifies that other active consumers in the business sector, beyond small and medium-sized enterprises, may also participate in electricity sharing, but only from generation facilities with an installed capacity of up to 6 MW.
• Introduces the possibility of direct support for electricity generation from nuclear fuel after July 2027 in the form of a contract-for-difference scheme for electricity generated from nuclear sources.

The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter referred to as “Ministry of Economy“) is submitting the draft amendment to the Energy Act also due to the partial transposition of the so-called 4th Energy Package in the gas sector, which mainly focuses on regulating the certification of the hydrogen transmission network operator and adjusting the rules for the functioning of the internal hydrogen market.

The submitted draft amendment to the Regulation Act introduces, among other things, the following key changes:

• Extension of the existing powers of the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (hereinafter referred to as "RONI") in connection with the above-mentioned changes to the Energy Act and the requirements of Directive (EU) 2024/1711,
• Expansion of RONI’s current monitoring powers regarding the application of electricity supply contracts and bundled supply contracts with fixed prices for a definite period, as well as monitoring the removal of unjustified barriers to electricity sharing,
• Legal regulation related to the introduction of a peak-time consumption reduction product,
• Supplementation of provisions in case of an electricity price crisis declared at the EU or regional level.

The submitted draft amendment to the RES Support Act introduces in particular the following changes:

• Legal regulation of the principle of so-called cascading use of woody biomass based on the highest economic and environmental added value,
• Legal framework for setting up support in the form of a contract-for-difference scheme for electricity generation from selected renewable sources,
• Legal regulation introducing a system of credits issued for electricity from renewable sources used in transport, including the method of issuance, registration, trading, and application of such credits,
• Legal provisions for meeting RES targets in the transport and industrial sectors,
• Legal framework for obligations related to the production of biofuels, bioliquids, and fuels from forest biomass.

The law is expected to come into force on January 1, 2026, except for points thirty-five, forty-four, and forty-five of Article III, which are proposed to take effect on September 1, 2026, and Article VII, which is proposed to come into effect on November 1, 2025.

The current legislative status, which is currently in the first reading, can be tracked at this link.

■     RONI updates model operating rules for local distribution system operators

On 3 June 2025, RONI published on its website an updated model operating code for local distribution system operators.

The model operating code is available HERE.

More information is available HERE.

■     RONI announces intention to adjust the calculation method for imbalance settlement price

On 1 July 2025, RONI published a statement announcing that, on its own initiative, it had launched proceedings to amend the operating rules of The Slovak Electricity Transmission System (Slovenská elektrizačná prenosová sústava, a.s., hereinafter referred to as "SEPS") and The organizer of the short-term electricity market (Organizátor krátkodobého trhu s elektrinou - OKTE, a.s., hereinafter referred to as "OKTE"). According to RONI, the aim of these amendments is to adjust the method of calculating the imbalance settlement price for settlement entities.

According to the RONI chairman, the office has decided to take action against speculative behavior by electricity traders by making them pay for every miscalculation in their consumption or production forecasts. For Slovak households, this change is intended to result in lower imbalance-related charges, which are part of the final electricity price.

However, several market participants have criticized the proposed changes. According to them, the measure may have the opposite effect: settlement entities may no longer be motivated to support the grid through counter-deviations, and the risks of penalties may ultimately be passed on to end consumers. Additionally, the change could negatively impact the flexibility market and the expected return on battery storage investments.

RONI initially planned for the new rules to take effect from 1 August 2025, but later announced a postponement of the effective date due to ongoing discussions with market participants.

RONI’s press releases are available HERE and HERE.

■     RONI analyzes the introduction of tiered tariffs for households

In a report dated 29 June 2025, RONI announced that it is currently analyzing the possibility of introducing tiered electricity and gas tariffs for households. According to the proposed model, households with lower energy consumption would benefit from more favorable prices compared to those with higher consumption.

Electricity and gas usage would be divided into several tiers. In practice, this means that, for example, households would pay a lower price for the first 1,000 kWh of annual consumption, and the price per unit would increase progressively with higher consumption above that threshold.

The report states that the aim of introducing tiered tariffs is to encourage more responsible energy behavior among households—such as turning off unnecessary appliances, investing in more efficient devices, and planning energy use more effectively.

RONI has set up its legislative process to allow for public and expert discussion, with the goal of implementing the new model starting 1 January 2026.

The full report from RONI is available HERE.

■     RONI begins preparation of a new regulatory policy

On 23 June 2025, RONI announced that it had begun work on drafting a new regulatory policy for the 7th regulatory period, which will cover the years 2028–2032, following the conclusion of the current cycle 2023–2027.

The new regulatory policy is intended as a response to the hard lessons learned during the energy crisis of 2021–2023, which highlighted the need for a more resilient, sovereign, and fair regulatory framework in Slovakia. RONI’s vision is to create an energy system and regulatory model that performs well not only in stable times, but can also withstand future crises.

According to RONI, the strategic regulatory document will emphasize the protection of households, energy security, the sustainable development of distribution networks, and new challenges related to climate goals, electromobility, and energy sharing.

RONI plans to launch a series of consultations with stakeholders during the course of 2025.

You can read more about the RONI article HERE.

■     RONI analyses the potential use of dynamic electricity pricing on the day-ahead market

On 19 June 2025, RONI published information stating that it is actively working on analysing the possibilities for using dynamic electricity pricing based on developments in the day-ahead market, with a focus on benefiting Slovak households.

RONI aims to motivate households to shift their electricity consumption to hours with the lowest prices, thereby achieving significant savings. This reflects EU requirements, but RONI intends to follow its own path, adapted to Slovak conditions.

A key element of implementation, according to RONI, is the integration of households with the intelligent metering system (IMS). RONI wants a larger share of household consumption to take place during cheaper hours in the future, which would reduce grid strain and overall costs.

RONI is currently conducting an active and comprehensive market analysis and will continue to inform the public about future developments and possible legislative initiatives in the area of targeted tariffs.

You can read more about this update HERE.

■     RONI on the strategic importance and price of wood chips

On 17 June 2025, RONI published an article about wood chips, which it considers a key factor in the energy market and a strategically important resource for the Slovak industry and households that use wood for heating.

RONI stated that the price of wood chips, as a significant renewable energy source in Slovakia, is constantly influenced by dynamic market forces. Price developments are affected not only by demand for biomass in district heating but also by competition with the wood processing industry, changes in logging practices, and increasingly strict sustainability requirements under European legislation.

According to the RONI chairman, forecasting the price of wood chips for 2025 is challenging due to multiple factors, including raw material availability, biomass demand, legislative changes, and broader conditions on the energy market. Quoted prices of wood chips on European commodity exchanges are not commonly available, as trading in this commodity mainly takes place at the regional level. RONI considers the wood chip market to remain unstable and sensitive to external influences.

In terms of pricing, from 2014 to 2021, the average price of wood chips for producers using them to generate electricity—purchased from biomass suppliers—ranged between €40 and €51 per tonne, with the sharpest decline recorded in 2015. After 2021, prices began to rise, reaching a peak of €77.41/t in 2023. In 2024, the price slightly decreased to €74.11/t, with the average for 2023 and 2024 standing at €75.76/t. A similar trend can be observed in prices measured in €/MWh.

RONI further noted that since 2019, an amendment to the RES (renewable energy sources) support act has been in force, which precisely defines biomass as a renewable energy source—requiring it to originate from energy crops or the wood-processing industry. The aim of this legislation is to enhance transparency in the use of biomass for electricity production.

You can read more about RONI’s perspective on this topic HERE.

■     RONI on the decline in heat prices in 2025 despite rising gas transmission costs

On 5 June 2025, RONI published information on the current development of heat prices as of May 2025.

As RONI explained, the heat price for Slovak households consists of a variable component—representing fuel-related production costs (natural gas, coal, biomass, electricity, etc.)—and a fixed component that reflects stable costs associated with heat production and distribution (inflation, maintenance and repair costs, fees, etc.).

According to RONI, the average variable component of the heat price for 2025, based on RONI's decisions as of 12 May 2025, reached 0.0934 €/kWh, which represents a decrease of 11.2% compared to 2024. The main reason for the decrease was falling global natural gas prices in 2024 and favourable contracts signed for 2025 during the previous year.

On the other hand, the rise in gas transmission costs had a negative impact on the variable component. This was caused by the non-renewal of the transit agreement for Russian gas through Ukraine after 31 December 2024, which led to higher costs for alternative transport routes.

In addition, the arithmetic average price of natural gas on the Cal-t exchange product for 2025 dropped from €53.59/MWh for 2024 to €37.78/MWh, which also contributed to the reduction of heat production costs. The maximum regulated price of natural gas also decreased, provided that regulated entities purchased gas in advance.

In 2025, the share of variable costs in the average heat price reached 72%, while the average fixed component increased by 3.6% to €235.90/kW. This increase was influenced by the level of core inflation.

RONI concluded by stating that it will continue monitoring prices and regulating the sector to ensure ongoing stability in the Slovak heat market.

You can read more HERE.

■     Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises across Slovakia can now apply for support to install solar panels and wind turbines from the Green for Businesses national project

On 16 June 2025, The Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency (Slovenská inovačná a energetická agentúra, hereinafter referred to as "SIEA")  announced that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from all over Slovakia can now apply for support for the installation of solar panels and wind turbines through the Green for Businesses national project.

The application process for companies from less-developed regions was launched on 16 June 2025. According to SIEA, with the opening of this project phase, entrepreneurs can now request support for installing all eligible devices for electricity and heat production.

According to the updated specific conditions dated 9 June 2025 (available HERE), a total amount of €35,950,000 has been allocated for the installation of solar panels and wind turbines in companies from less-developed regions. Companies can apply for vouchers of up to €50,000 via the information system available on the official Green for Businesses project website. SIEA notes that the application window for this phase ends on 16 December 2025.

SIEA also reminds applicants that an energy audit is a mandatory part of every voucher application. Without it, the application cannot be submitted. A qualified professional must confirm in the audit the suitability of the device for which the company is requesting support, and also verify that at least 50% of the energy generated will be consumed at the company's facility. The advantage is that companies can also receive a contribution of up to €2,500 for conducting the audit.

Under the basic conditions, companies may apply for support for several units of the same type of device for multiple sites or for different types of eligible devices. According to SIEA, this can be done in a single application—except when combining heat/cooling generation devices (such as heat pumps, solar collectors) with electricity generation devices (such as photovoltaic panels, wind turbines). Under the general project rules, one application cannot include both categories. This separation was introduced to prevent cases where an application might end up in the reserve list due to depleted funding in one category, even if funds were still available in the other.

If a company is applying for multiple types of devices, a separate audit is not required for each one. A single audit is acceptable, but the auditor must assess each device separately. If a company submits multiple audits, the total support for the audit remains capped at €2,500 per company. Similarly, support for device installation is capped at €50,000 per company (per company ID/IČO).

As for the support amount itself, companies can estimate their potential grant based on the maximum reimbursable costs per unit of installed capacity. SIEA has published these figures under specific conditions for each phase of the project. These documents are available on the Green for Businesses project website.

More information can be found at this link and also HERE.

■     SIEA announced that all funds for households outside the Bratislava region have been reserved under the green for households project

On 5 June 2025, SIEA published a notice stating that all funds for households outside the Bratislava self-governing region have been reserved under the Green for Households project. As a result, SIEA suspended voucher activation for these regions as of 5 June 2025. However, it is still possible to register support applications.

According to the announcement, vouchers for applications already activated by contractors were to be issued on 10 June 2025. For households that have already received vouchers for devices using renewable energy sources, the funds are reserved. These vouchers will be reimbursed provided the conditions are met, the equipment is installed, and the reimbursement request is submitted within 90 days of voucher issuance.

SIEA currently cannot confirm when support for these regions will be resumed.

A total of €107.7 million was allocated for support under the Green for Households project. In less than a year since the project launch, more than 16,000 vouchers worth almost €47 million have been reimbursed, and a further €56 million is currently reserved for already issued vouchers.

Vouchers can still be activated and issued for applications from households in the Bratislava self-governing region, where €2.8 million remains available. Nearly €22 million in funds are also available under the Green Solidarity project, which offers up to 90% support for eligible costs to low-income households and households with persons with disabilities from all regions of Slovakia.

More information is available at this link.

■     The Ministry of Economy announces a new joint venture for spent nuclear fuel reuse

On 24 June 2025, the Ministry of Economy announced the establishment of a joint venture focused on the development of an advanced Generation IV nuclear reactor and the reuse of spent nuclear fuel in Jaslovské Bohunice.

According to the Ministry of Economy, this is a strategic initiative bringing together industrial and research leaders in nuclear energy, moving Slovakia closer to a low-emission, safe, and technologically advanced future.

The project is based on a collaboration between JAVYS, newcleo, and VUJE, which signed a founding agreement on 23 June 2025. The Ministry of Economy welcomed and actively supports the initiative as part of its long-term priorities in energy security, innovation, and sustainable energy resource management.

The new joint venture has been named the Centre for Spent Nuclear Fuel Utilisation Development, a.s. (CVP), and its task will be to develop the LFR-AS-200 (Lead-cooled Fast Reactor), a fast reactor cooled with lead that allows for the reuse of spent fuel as an energy source.

In parallel, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between VUJE and newcleo to collaborate on the development of scalable data centres that could in the future be powered by advanced modular reactors (AMRs), thus linking two key sectors: energy and digital infrastructure.

More information is available at this link.

■     The Ministry of Economy announces a launch of the tender for a financial advisor for the new nuclear power plant project

On 3 June 2025, the Ministry of Economy published a report on its website stating that the state-owned company JAVYS, a.s., launched a tender on 3 June 2025 to select a financial advisor for the planned construction of a new nuclear power source in Jaslovské Bohunice. The new large-scale nuclear facility is expected to have a maximum output of up to 1,700 MW and a minimum operational lifetime of 60 years. Its main purpose will be to help ensure a stable electricity supply for Slovak households and industry in the long term.

The Ministry of Economy noted that the aim of the tender is to secure expert support for the state in preparing and concluding contractual agreements between the Slovak Republic and the future investor.

The tender is also published in the EU Official Journal, with the application deadline set at 45 days—exceeding the statutory minimum. The selection process will take place in two rounds. First, candidates' professional qualifications will be evaluated, and only those who meet the necessary experience criteria will be invited to submit a price offer.

The estimated value of the contract is set at 15 million euros, while the final price will be determined by the tender outcome.

This announcement by Ministry of Economy is available at this link.

■     SIEA announces 8th European conference on behaviour and energy efficiency Behave 2025

On 1 July 2025, the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency (SIEA) published an announcement on its website that ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Transition, and the European Energy Network will host the BEHAVE 2025 conference on 11–12 December 2025.

This year's conference is themed: “From energy efficiency to sufficiency: the need for lifestyle change to ensure a just transition to carbon neutrality.”

Over the two-day event, policymakers, academics, industry representatives, and practitioners will exchange insights and experiences as they seek solutions to reduce CO₂ emissions and achieve a fair transition.

SIEA noted that the call for papers has been launched, welcoming both academic and policy-related submissions.

The deadline to register and submit abstracts was open until 7 July 2025. However, those who created an account before that date have an extended deadline to submit their proposals until 15 July 2025.

More details on this topic are available at this link.

■     OKTE launches public consultation on changes to the technical specification of ISOT external interfaces

On 2 July 2025, OKTE announced the launch of a public consultation on the planned changes to the Technical Specification of External Interfaces for Market Participants for the Market Operator Information System XMtrade®/ISOT (“TŠVD ISOT”).

According to OKTE, the change concerns the addition of new products for the intraday continuous market and modifications to orders. The proposed change to the TŠVD ISOT to version v1.21 is available and incorporated into the text of version v1.20 in track changes mode, available HERE.

OKTE also informed market participants that they can take part in the public consultation by sending a completed feedback form (available HERE) to the email address verejnekonzultacie@okte.sk.

The deadline for submitting comments is 11 July 2025. OKTE will not consider comments received after this date.

More information from OKTE is available HERE.

■     OKTE highlights new format of certificate on use of guarantees of origin of energy

On 16 June 2025, OKTE announced that it had started issuing certificates on the use of guarantees of origin in an updated version.

According to OKTE, the new certificate format contains more detailed information about production sources, including descriptions of technologies and fuels. The applied guarantees of origin are paired in a table with the corresponding source based on a serial number.

The new format also includes a field for the purpose of use, which is designed for application in cases of energy conversion (e.g. hydrogen production from “green” electricity) or storage (e.g. in battery storage systems). OKTE advises that in cases of standard use of guarantees of origin for end consumers, the option “application of energy source” should be selected.

The OKTE announcement is available HERE.

■     OKTE announces entry into force of new operational rules

In a notice dated 9 June 2025, OKTE informed that the amended Operational Rules of OKTE, approved by RONI on 30 May 2025, would enter into force on 11 June 2025. The approval is based on RONI’s decision on the new Operational Rules of OKTE, which is available HERE.

The full text of the OKTE Operational Rules, effective from 11 June 2025, is available HERE.

■     OKTE launches a project under the working title “Invoicing data in OKTE”

On 4 June 2025, OKTE published an announcement that, as a market participant responsible for implementing the requirements of §9 paragraphs 3 and 4 of RONI Decree No. 207/2023—which sets out rules for the functioning of the internal electricity market, the content requirements of the grid operator’s operational rules, the short-term electricity market organizer, and the scope of business terms included in the grid operator's operational rules, as amended (the “electricity market rules”)—it is launching a project under the working title “Invoicing Data in OKTE.”

OKTE stated that the aim of the project is precisely to fulfil the obligations arising from this regulation.

Currently, grid operators, producers, aggregators, electricity storage facility operators, SEPS, and suppliers of balancing electricity provide data to OKTE’s information system or directly to suppliers. Regional distribution system operators send data in accordance with the technical specification (TŠVD), while local distribution system operators use various communication methods. The supplier then processes the data in its own information system and issues an invoice to the end consumer for the electricity supply.

Under the new system, all relevant market participants will provide data directly to OKTE—either through messages according to TŠVD or by entering the data directly into the system. OKTE will process the data, perform any necessary calculations, and forward the information to electricity suppliers.

According to OKTE, the legislative changes will trigger not only technological but also procedural and organizational updates. These will be reflected in a new version of OKTE’s operational rules, which is to be drafted and published by no later than 15 October 2025.

The proposed changes will primarily affect grid operators, who will have a new obligation to provide OKTE with invoicing data for the billing of distribution/transmission and contributions to the National Nuclear Fund. OKTE will then make this information available to electricity suppliers for settlement and invoicing to final consumers.

More information on this topic is available at this link.

■     VSE and ZSE merge into a single company

The Východoslovenská energetika a.s. (VSE) published a report on its website announcing its merger with its sister company ZSE Energia, a.s. (ZSE) as of 1 July 2025. The merged company now operates under the name Energetika Slovensko, a.s.

According to VSE, the merger involved ZSE and VSE being merged into VSE, which became the legal successor of ZSE and simultaneously changed its business name to Energetika Slovensko, a.s. as of 1 July.

Despite the change, the supply of electricity, gas, and other services (air conditioning, photovoltaics, heating, insurance, and others) continues without interruption, and no action is required from customers.

More information is available at this link.

■     SEPS announces update of technical conditions

SEPS published information on its website that on 1 July 2025, the company’s board of directors approved changes to several documents within its technical conditions.

The updated technical condition documents of SEPS are available HERE.

The changes affect documents A, C, D, F, and O, and include the addition of new terminology, the introduction of the term "system power plant," criteria for frequency measurement, and criteria for evaluating connection requests. Additional formal and technical adjustments were also proposed, including the removal of transitional provisions related to connections to the MARI and PICASSO platforms.

More information is available at this link.

■     SEPS increases capacity for connecting new and upgrading existing power plants

On June 30, 2025, SEPS announced on its website that it is releasing an additional installed capacity of 170 MW for connecting new electricity generation facilities and for increasing the capacity of existing photovoltaic (PV) and wind power plants (WPP) to the Slovak power grid.

With this increase, the limit for installed capacity from the perspective of grid flexibility rises from 747 MW to 917 MW.

SEPS clarified that this capacity increase is exclusively for renewable energy sources of the PV and WPP types. As of June 30, 2025, SEPS allocated 20 MW of this capacity directly to each regional distribution system operator (DSO). The remaining 110 MW (out of 170 MW) will be allocated by SEPS based on received capacity allocation requests or connection applications.

Regarding the limit on installed capacity from the perspective of grid throughput, SEPS noted that due to the current availability of free capacity with the distribution system operator VSD, it was necessary to increase the capacity allocated to this operator by transferring 40 MW originally assigned to SEPS. By increasing the capacity assigned to VSD in terms of grid throughput, SEPS aims to ensure sufficient capacity for connecting new and expanding existing power generation facilities to the Slovak grid.

More details are available at this link.

■     SEPS announces public consultation on changes to its operating rules

On July 1, 2025, SEPS informed on its website that a public consultation on amendments to the Transmission System Operator’s Operating Rules is taking place from July 2 to July 16, 2025 (inclusive).

All relevant information and materials related to the consultation are published HERE.

The proposed changes mainly respond to the altered behavior of providers of ancillary services (PpS) and renewable energy sources (RE) after SEPS joined the PICASSO and MARI platforms at the end of 2024.

Key amendments include:

• Simplification and reduction of contractual penalties for non-availability of PpS, particularly penalties applied before time T-1 hour and their adjustment for non-compliance in real time (T-0).
• Extension of the penalty mechanism to so-called free bids from renewable energy, which were previously exempt.
• Specification of exact calculations for payments related to verification activation of renewable energy, including consequences of unsuccessful verification activation.

More details can be found at this link.

■     SEPS evaluated public consultation on the Strategy for securing an adequate volume of ancillary services for 2026

On June 20, 2025, SEPS announced on its website that it had completed the evaluation of comments received during the public consultation on the Strategy for securing an adequate volume of ancillary services for 2026 (hereinafter referred to as "Strategy").

SEPS also published an updated version of the Strategy document, along with a supporting market analysis conducted by an external consultant focused on the ancillary services availability market.

These documents are available HERE.

The Strategy summarizes current commercial and technical information used to set up the procurement process for ancillary services availability for 2026. Its goal is to define the procurement framework and recommend an optimal approach for purchasing ancillary services availability, balancing economic considerations with quality, safety, and reliability requirements of the Slovak transmission system operation.

More details can be found at this link.

■     New RONI Decisions for SEPS

On June 20, 2025, SEPS announced on its website the issuance of two new decisions from RONI:

(i)       RONI Decision No. 0003/2025/E-EU dated June 4, 2025
This decision grants SEPS an exemption for the period from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, under Article 6(9) second sentence in connection with Article 6(10) of the EU Regulation 2019/943 on the internal electricity market. It allows the transmission system operator to conclude contracts for availability more than one day before the availability is provided, for a maximum duration of six months (document available HERE).

(ii)     RONI Decision No. 0001/2025/E-NF dated June 4, 2025
This decision approves, for the period from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, the procurement of non-frequency ancillary services by SEPS through a process other than transparent, non-discriminatory, and market-based procedures. Specifically, SEPS may directly invite all entities with certified facilities capable of providing the relevant type of non-frequency ancillary service (document available HERE).

More details can be found HERE and HERE.

■     New Operating Rules for ZSD and VSD

RONI published decisions on its website approving new operating rules for the distribution system operators, namely:

(i)       RONI Decision No. 0003/2025/E-PP dated 6 June 2025 for the operator Západoslovenská distribučná, a.s. (hereinafter referred to as “ZSD”), which is available HERE,

(ii)     RONI Decision No. 0004/2025/E-PP dated 6 June 2025 for the operator Východoslovenská distribučná, a.s. (hereinafter referred to as “VSD”), which is available HERE.

In both cases, the reason for the change in operating rules was the amendment to the Electricity Market Rules, which came into effect on 1 January 2025.

The text of the changes can be found at this link.

You can download the monitoring for the month of June 2025 in PDF format here.

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