The Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG), as announced, has calculated a discount on electricity bills for the citizens of Pljevlja, but the December bills are expected to be drastically lower than those that some citizens expected.
According to EPCG data, provided to "Vijesti", the discount was calculated for a total of 15.556 consumers in Pljevlja, and the total amount of bill reduction for December is 95.095 euros. When this amount is divided by the number of users, the average reduction per household is only about 6,11 euros.
EPCG introduced a discount on electricity bills in mid-December as a form of support to citizens during the months when the city records the highest air pollution. The measure applies to the three winter months, December, January and February, a period when bills are usually the highest due to increased electricity consumption.
The Electric Power Company of Montenegro announced that households in this city have been granted a 50 percent reduction in active energy, but that percentage does not mean bills halved, as many citizens expected, but rather a much more modest financial relief.
EPCG explained that the reduction applies exclusively to the price of active energy, while other items on the bill, such as network charges, fees, VAT fees, etc., remain unchanged. This is why a 50 percent discount on active energy does not mean a 50 percent lower bill, but rather a symbolic reduction in the total amount that citizens pay.
EPCG explained this decision as a form of support for the citizens of Pljevlja due to extreme air pollution, especially during the winter months.
"In order to help the citizens of Pljevlja in this difficult situation, I have decided that EPCG will reduce the price of active energy for all households in Pljevlja by 50 percent for the next three months. This measure is our multi-year way of supporting the local community and citizens during December, January and February as we face challenges. The goal is to solve the problem of pollution and ensure better air quality, while at the same time providing the necessary support to our fellow citizens," said the EPCG executive director in mid-December last year. Zdravko Dragas, explaining this measure.
President of the municipality of Pljevlja Dario Vranes He asked those responsible at the Ministry of Energy and Mining and EPCG to approve electricity subsidies for the citizens of Pljevlja during the winter in the amount of at least 50 percent of the entire bill, given that the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant significantly affects air pollution in that city.
Pljevlja has been at the top of the list of the most polluted cities in the region for years, and concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 particles and sulfur dioxide often exceed the permitted limits many times over, raising the question of whether reducing bills by an average of six euros is an adequate response to a problem that directly affects the health of the population or acts more as a social and political measure.
It is particularly indicative that the discount was granted only after pollution reached extreme values in December.
Many believe that EPCG's reaction was late and insufficient, and that it represents an attempt to calm the public at a time of increased pressure and dissatisfaction.
This is not the first time that Pljevlja residents have been offered certain financial benefits as compensation for poor living conditions. There have been similar measures in previous years, but they were mostly of limited duration and modest effect.
Alarming level of PM particles
The concentration of polluting PM particles in Pljevlja the night before last was almost ten times higher than the prescribed daily average value, data from the Environmental Protection Agency's measuring stations showed.
The prescribed daily average value is 50 micrograms per cubic meter, and at 20 p.m., 499,5 micrograms of PM10 particles were measured at the station in the Gagovića estate settlement. PM2,5 particles, which are considered more dangerous, are also above the permitted limit, and their concentration was 453,8 micrograms. High pollution is also recorded by a mobile measuring station in the city center, where 333,5 micrograms of PM10 particles and 309,3 micrograms of PM2,5 particles were measured.
The Environmental Protection Agency warns that in this state of air, anyone can experience the serious impact of polluted air on their health (difficulty breathing, coughing, feeling of tightness, wheezing in the chest, watery eyes, increased nasal secretions and an unpleasant feeling of scraping and scratching in the throat).
Recommendations are that people with heart and lung conditions, the elderly, and children should avoid any outdoor activity. The rest of the population should avoid prolonged and strenuous physical activity.
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