Enstroga, Igloo Energy, and Symbio Energy have joined the list of British suppliers to cease trading as a gas crisis sends wholesale prices through the roof, leaving regulator Ofgem to appoint a new provider for 233,000 customers.
Announcing the latest three companies to collapse, the Office of Gas and Electric Markets (Ofgem) stated that it will contact the affected customers to provide them with a new supplier, seeking to reassure those affected at this “worrying time.”
Enstroga had 6,000 customers, Igloo Energy 179,000, and Symbio Energy 48,000, leaving a total of 233,000 UK households needing a new gas and electricity provider.
“Ofgem’s number one priority is to protect customers. We know this is a worrying time for many people and news of a supplier going out of business can be unsettling,” Neil Lawrence, director of retail at Ofgem, said.
The firms join 12 other energy companies that have gone bust in the UK over the past year, seven of which went under in the past month alone, with Ofgem warning that more firms will most likely collapse in the next few weeks.
The situation comes amid soaring gas prices, which have risen by up to 20% – around four times higher than they were last year – as gas prices reach all-time highs due to increased demand on the market.