Energy is important in reindustrialization, but reforms, investments and new strategy are required also- Kopaonik Business Forum’s participants messaged.
Panel participants agreed that energy prices should be in the economy, not socially category and that market should be liberalized and companies prepared for competition. Director of Regulatory Energy Agency, Ljubo Macic, stressed that Serbia imports much more than it exports, what influences external market deficit. He stated that only 10% of households use gas at the moment and that there is a great potential for gas consumption to grow in future period.
“We took over responsibility to reach prices that express expenses and market condition. If EPS compete with region when it comes to electricity, it would have an additional billion EUR of incomes yearly”, Macic said.
He stressed that Serbia need to solve a problem of brining prices on the economy level. He added that order for protection of poor buyers is an important element in the structure but we need to determine dynamics for reaching prices for safe supply in the future.
Deputy Managing Director for economy and financial business in EPS, Ratko Bogdanovic believes that energy prices is several years’ story that can’t be solved over night, the price need to be increased occasionally.
According to his words, current electricity price is enough to cover business, but not investments.
Crucial thing for EPS is to produce and increase production and it is bigger by 6%, with reference to the planned production in the first six months- the President of EPS Managing Board Aca Markovic said.
He stated that many investments in production capacities were planned and that they are always profitable.
Source Serbia Energy/Agencies
