With the deadline set for February 1, suppliers are required to begin offering dynamic tariff products to consumers, even as significant gaps persist in the technological infrastructure needed to support them.
Dynamic pricing relies on the ability to measure and transmit electricity consumption data at 15-minute intervals, allowing prices to reflect real-time conditions in the power system. However, this requirement is proving difficult to meet at scale. According to figures cited in a recent decision by Greece’s energy regulator, RAAEY, around 330,000 of the approximately 1.3 million smart meters installed so far are not capable of transmitting consumption data in near real time due to technical limitations. As a result, they cannot fully support dynamic tariffs in their current form.
These meters were installed before Greece incorporated EU Directive 2019/944 into national law and lack standardized communication interfaces, such as H1 ports or output pulses, that are now considered essential. The issue was formally raised by the national association of electricity suppliers, which questioned whether the existing metering base can realistically underpin dynamic pricing. While the distribution network operator has stated that all smart meters can record consumption every 15 minutes and could, under certain conditions, be used for dynamic tariffs, the regulator has clarified that a substantial number of older meters would require upgrades or full replacement—steps that cannot be implemented quickly.
Complicating matters further, even where 15-minute consumption data are already available—mainly for medium-voltage users and large low-voltage customers—the data are not being delivered to suppliers with sufficient frequency. This is due to constraints in the current back-office IT systems, which are not expected to be replaced until early 2026. Until then, the market will operate under a transitional regime characterized by slower data flows and incomplete information.
By comparison with other European countries, where the shift to dynamic pricing has typically been supported by transition periods lasting up to a year, Greece’s timeline is notably compressed. With less than a month remaining before the mandatory launch, uncertainty remains over how many consumers can realistically access dynamic tariffs and how reliable the underlying data will be. The combination of partially compatible meters and delayed digital infrastructure is fueling concerns about pricing distortions and unequal treatment of customers, as the market is pushed to adopt a model for which the necessary foundations are not yet fully in place.
