A new wave of price increases could start as early as September 1. For now, it is known that the price of gas will rise, the price of heating in Belgrade is certain, and the final decision is awaited for the price of electricity.
Director of Srbijagas Dušan Bajatović announced that gas will be 1 percent more expensive from November 10.
According to him, the price of gas will increase from 43 dinars per cubic meter to 47 dinars and that, if the average consumption is around 400 cubic meters, it will be an increase of around 1.200 dinars per average bill in the heating season.
"The International Monetary Fund asked for 10 percent, but if the papers of Srbijagas show that it can be a little less, then we will not go to the detriment of customers, but only to maintain the liquidity of Srbijagas so that supplies can be financed." If it exceeds that, the cost will be borne by the state of Serbia," said Bajatović.
According to him, Serbia will have about 700 million cubic meters of gas in stock. It is about 400 million cubic meters in Banatski dvor and the warehouse in Hungary is being filled, while Serbia has about 300 million cubic meters in the Russian part of the warehouse.
"That is about 50 percent of the sufficient quantities of gas. No one knows what the winter will be like. If the winter is very cold, we are safe for minus 20 degrees, said Bajatović.
Heating costs up six percent
City manager Miroslav Čučković said today that Belgrade Power Plants requested a six percent increase in the price of heating, as of September 1.
He told RTS that on July 25, the company made a decision to raise prices due to the higher price of gas and electricity and raw materials for the renovation of heating pipes throughout Belgrade.
"Their request is for the price increase to be from September 1st, and we (the city government) will make a statement about it as soon as possible, but we think that this request is justified," said Čučković and added that no other Belgrade company had requested an increase in the price of services .
Power on hold
It is not yet certain whether, apart from gas, electricity will also be more expensive from November 1.
In the report of the International Monetary Fund for Serbia, which was published at the beginning of July, from November 1, the citizens of Serbia expect a new increase in the price of electricity by eight percent and gas by 10 percent, and in May 2024, new price increases with the same percentages will follow.
The report states that the Government of Serbia has agreed that a further increase in electricity and gas prices is necessary.
"The authorities are very aware of the challenges facing the energy sector and are committed to comprehensive reforms to ensure a stable and reliable energy supply, improve energy efficiency and, in the medium and long term, significantly reduce carbon emissions, and agree that to achieve these goals require a further increase in electricity and gas prices."
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić then said that Serbia will not create an opportunity for other countries to attract more investors, due to more favorable prices for energy sources, and that if the situation with energy sources remains this way, the next increase in electricity prices agreed with the International Monetary Fund will not be necessary.
The Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović, stated that the price of electricity in Serbia is among the three cheapest in Europe, but that she hopes it will not increase in price.
BG/FoNet/N1/Danas/
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