From January 1, the price of electricity for households will increase by about 5,6 percent, about which the Regulatory Agency for Energy and Regulated Utilities will announce the final decision today.
Last week, the agency considered the request of the Montenegrin electricity distribution system (CEDIS) to increase the allowed income, partially accepted it and announced a proposal for calculating electricity prices according to which those for households with two-tariff meters would be higher by 5,63 percent from January 1 of the following year.
On the current bill of about 50 euros, this price increase would amount to about two and a half euros, and it can be higher or lower depending on the period when the household consumes the most electricity. This would be the first significant increase in electricity prices in Montenegro after 14 years.
During yesterday's discussion before the Board of the Agency, CEDIS lodged an objection, considering that they should have been granted a higher income while the citizen Miomir of Skopje submitted several objections, considering that some approved expenses for this company are too large and should be reduced, and thus the amount of the increase.
Executive Director of CEDIS Vladimir Čađenović he said at the hearing that they believe that the Agency should have granted them higher costs to cover technical losses because they purchase that electricity at higher prices than they compensate for it from consumers, as well as that depreciation costs were underestimated in the proposed calculation.
"Those are the two main reasons why companies operate at a loss. I expect you to consider the documentation we submitted and our arguments," said Čađenović.
Škopelja resented the fact that CEDIS was approved for the high costs for removing old flags because they are higher than the costs for installing new ones, because the approved costs are for the next year to flag 138 thousand electricity meters or 600 per working day, as well as because approved tax costs on borrowed capital.
Čađenović replied that the old wooden poles, which were made by impregnation by immersion in mineral oils, were declared hazardous waste by the new environmental regulation and must be removed according to special procedures of the Environmental Protection Agency.
He said that due to technical regulations, all meters installed in 2011, 2012 and 2013 must be calibrated next year, which is why the number is so high, which also affects the costs.
President of the Board of the Agency Branislav Prelevic he said that all objections and appeals to their proposal will be analyzed, after which a decision will be made and the final calculation of electricity prices for consumer groups will be made.
The closed session of the Board on considering appeals and making a final decision on prices started yesterday around 10 am and lasted until the end of the paper last night. Prelevic said at the beginning that the decision will be announced late in the evening or in the morning.
CEDIS fully or partially participates in three items on the electricity bill, while the largest part of the bill falls on EPCG income - two items, CGES, renewable sources, VAT...
EPCG has not yet decided on its items
Elektroprivreda can change its account items, active energy, higher and lower tariffs, which cover the costs of electricity production, whenever it wants and without the approval of the Agency.
EPCG has not yet officially answered whether they will do it next year. Electricity prices on the international market in the past two years were up to 20 times higher than what households in Montenegro paid for it.
EPCG compensated those losses by selling excess electricity on international exchanges.
Starting next year, the company will have to pay the costs of the reconstruction of the Thermal Power Plant, and the construction of the wind power plant "Gvozd" and the small hydroelectric power plant "Petijevići" is also planned. Also, in 2025, the Thermal Power Plant will not work for eight months due to reconstruction, which will create large costs for EPCG.
These are the possible reasons for the price increase. The reasons for maintaining the current prices are both political and social in order to protect the standards of citizens, but also due to the fear that the price increase will reduce the collection and create an additional problem.
The item "sustainable energy sources" is decided directly by the Government. In April of this year, it was almost halved due to the fact that part of the producers switched to the exchange sale of electricity.
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