Electricity Price in Bulgaria Drops 8% as of March 1st
The retail price of electricity in Bulgaria may fall by as much as eight percent as of March 1st, 2013. The license of the Czech grid operator CEZ may be revoked and all three energy distribution companies - Energo Pro, E.on and CEZ may be penalized with hefty fines.
These are part of the measures that PM Boyko Borissov proposed to the State Energy and Waters Regulatory Commission, the Economy Ministry and the Parliament in response to the two-week-old massive protests across the country against the inflated electricity bills of the households.
Still, Boyko Borissov ruled out the option for nationalization of the grid operators.
The price of electricity may go down, if the share of reimbursed expense of the grid operators is cut down, and if they start buying more electricity from NPP Kozloduy.
In July, NPP Kozloduy's whole output may be directed to the domestic market, Borissov said.
Still, the state regulator is to have the final word on how much exactly the retail price of electricity could be pulled down.
"I will not be the Bulgarian PM to nationalize the energy distribution companies in this country," Borissov emphasized.
He added that all contracts between the foreign grid operators and the Bulgarian state should be made public. Many of these contracts, for instance, provide huge compensations for the companies, if their licenses are revoked. The contracts also provide that all expenses of the grid operators are to be reimbursed by the state.
PM Borissov encouraged the Bulgarian people to file claims against their energy supplier, whenever they suspect that their bill may have been manipulated.
According to the Consumers Protection Commission, the people can file collective claims against the power suppliers.
Borissov admitted that the appointment of Angel Semerdjiev as chairman of the state energy and waters regulator was a mistake and expressed hope that he would be held to account for the breaches and violations he had committed.
The prime minister pledged that fifty percent of the members of the state energy and waters regulatory commission will be from the quota of the citizens. He even encouraged the protesters and the opposition to nominate some of their peers.
Late last night, the state regulator launched a procedure to revoke the license of CEZ on seventeen accounts of gross violations committed by the Czech company.
Text and photo: paper.standartnews.com