Economy

URSO Instructed to Do U-Turn on 2017 Energy Fiats

Bratislava, January 18 (TASR) – The Slovak Government expressed a ‘fundamental political disapproval’ of the regulatory energy framework for 2017, Prime Minister Robert Fico said after a Government session on Wednesday.

As a result, the energy regulator URSO will need to ‘box the compass’ and restore the prices for electricity and gas distribution to the level they were in 2016. “What this means in practice is that the conditions and criteria in effect in 2016 will also apply in 2017,” said Fico, adding that he’s ready to repeal the fiats concerned.

According to the Government, URSO’s plan for 2017 has produced a rise in the fixed component of the charges for electricity and gas distribution.

“This concerned the so-called circuit-breaker charges for electricity and the fixed-variable price ratio for gas. Advance payments have been hiked despite the falling prices of the commodities (electricity, gas). We’re aware of this issue only in areas served by (central Slovak electricity utility) Stredoslovenska Energetika, not in regard to (western Slovak utility) Zapadoslovenska Energetika and (eastern Slovak utility) Vychodoslovenska Energetika,” said the premier.

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