Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic announced that total electricity price increase will be divided in two parts for big industrial consumers, so those consumers will adjust electricity price change more easily.
“Electricity price increase is process and it will occur in several phases so everyone can adjust easily”, said Minister during conversations with German Ambassador in Serbia, Heinz Wilhelm who expressed the views of German industrial consumers in Serbia.
She added that industrial consumers will have less difficulty if first increase happens in the beginning of the year, while next can happen afterwards, until the end of this or in the beginning of next year, if economy calculations show that it is possible.
Minister Mihajlovic and German Ambassador spoke on future RWE investments in Serbia, and expressed optimism that joint team of EPS and RWE will start working soon on feasibility for TENT B3 new TPP.
Bigger part of electricity and gas market in Serbia was liberalized for big industrial consumers who will have to purchase the power on free market since the beginning of 2013.
According to the New Energy Law, market liberalization is valid for 27 big industrial consumers which represent 9, 5% of all consumers, and 40% of gas market is open, but many companies didn’t managed to make energy supply contracts on time, so Ministry of Energy suggested them to do that until 15 January.
Mihajlovic agreed with German Ambassador that electricity price increase at once can be a problem for industrial consumers and she pointed that had been discussed before, it was announced in the statement.
Ambassador Wilhelm is interested in more précised information about announced electricity price increase for industrial consumers, which German companies are among, too.
Minister talked with German Ambassador about realization of the TPP “Nikola Tesla”(TENT) B3 project and expressed expectation that expert groups of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) and German Company RWE will start working soon so the study of feasibility can be finished for the project, what will enable signing of agreement until the end of this year. RWE and EPS are already in JV project of Morava river HPPs, an MoU was signed in 2012 as well as for the TENT B3.
Mihajlovic announced that work on this important energy project will begin in first quarter of 2013, when she was answering the question from German Ambassador about South Stream project.
Minister Mihajlovic expressed expectation that Government of Serbia will adopt directive of stimulating tariffs for renewable energy sources by mid January and added that biomass stimulating measures increase and cogeneration facilities were planned with it because the main goal is energy efficiency increase.
Underlining that wind energy stimulating tariffs were decreased from 9, 5 to 9, 2 Euro-cent per kilowatt-hour and that annual indexation for inflation amount in Euro zone was introduced, she reminded that was the subject of conversations with all interested sides that expressed satisfaction with offered solutions.
Source Serbia Energy/Agencies/MERZ