Macedonia:Liberalisation of the electricity market will start 1 April next year
, SEE Energy NewsLiberalisation of the electricity market will start from 1st of April 2014, the Energy Regulatory Commission decided. Liberalization was supposed to start from 01 July this year, but was postponed because it would cause a significant increase in the price of electricity for households, up to 25%.
Vice Premier for Economic Affairs Vladimir Pesevski said on several occasions that the government should respect the EU directive, but primarily it has the responsibility for the citizens.
The issue of liberalization is in direct correlation with the increase in electricity prices for the citizens. The strong increase in electricity prices for households would follow with liberalization, and reduction in prices would be negligible for industrial consumers and businesses. – pointed out Presevski, adding that the electricity market of Macedonia is little, and while the electricity price is cut for someone, it will be increased for someone else, so it is necessary to make a balance.
Presevski stressed that the countries that have directly and quickly entered the process of the liberalization suffered serious economic consequences because of the increase in electricity prices for the citizens, as it was the case in Bulgaria and Croatia, where the price for households increased by about 70% compared with the Macedonia as the effect of liberalization.
According to Presevski, the government is simultaneously working on a strategy for better starting of electricity stock exchange that would allow a greater number of other retailers and manufacturers to offer their services, which would enable a lower cost on entry into Macedonia, and later it would be amortized towards the citizens.
President of the Macedonian Energy Association, Koco Andjusev, at the June meeting of companies of the Energy Association of Macedonia, said that the Macedonian companies are ready for the liberalization of the electricity market, because it brings benefits for all 146 companies.
According to him, the benefit is that electrical power can be significantly lower, as much as 25%.
Source; Serbia Energy See desk
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