Czech Bicorn plans to offer gas to residential clients
Czech electricity supplier Bicorn is planning to add gas supplies to its portfolio in the near future, the company confirmed on Friday.
"We are conducting negotiations with [wholesale] gas suppliers," a company representative said. He added that Bicorn will largely target residential consumers - its core customer base for electricity. According to reports in the media, Bicorn could start offering gas to customers by in September.
Bicorn would follow in the steps of Czech power incumbent ČEZ, which recently started offering gas to the country's residential customers (see ESGM 3 June 2010). ČEZ added a new segment to its portfolio of dual electricity and gas supplies to large customers in the Czech Republic, in place from 1 August 2009 (see ESGM 13 August 2009). ČEZ claims to have a 5% share of the large industrials market.
Gas incumbent RWE Transgas remained the dominant supplier in 2009, with 64.9% of all customers, according to the Czech industry and trade ministry. However, new entrants have recently started competing for customers in the Czech Republic. Pražská plynárenská became another important supplier last year, gaining 13.3% of the market. Gazprom subsidiary VEMEX supplied gas to 8.5% of customers.
French gas incumbent GDF SUEZ recently said it expects to have a 7-8% share of the Czech retail gas market in 2010 after having started supplying gas to large industrial customers as of 1 January (see ESGM 10 June 2010). KZ
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