EUROSTAT data, indicating that we pay the most expensive electricity in the region raised new/old questions: Why is that so? Does somebody “steal” from the citizens? Will the prices of electricity go up again? Some think that this is a consequence of the overall chaos, that the citizens are giving grants for the businesses of individuals, while others think that the construction of the Second Block of Thermal Power Plant would resolve this issue permanently.
Neđeljko Rudović says that the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) and the Energy Regulatory Agency should give answers to these questions.
“Structure of the Montenegrin economy is unsustainable in the long run and thus the deficit is covered by indebtedness. That’s the reflection of a chaos and lack of vision of the leaders of this state. The incompetence of the government is compensated by taking out from citizens. That’s why we pay high prices of electricity and the highest possible prices of fuel. The government should serve to the state and its citizens but, here, we have different situation – the state and the citizens both serve in order to maintain the leading party in power”, says Rudović.
Rudović says that we have been paying dozens of taxes and items that make the electricity bills huge.
Program Director of Civic Alliance, Boris Raonić, agrees that we pay the biggest electricity bills in the region. More than three decades have passed and not a single electric power plant was constructed in Montenegro. Thermal Power Plant in Pljevlja will be able to work for a couple of years and that’s it. A lot of time will be needed for its reconstruction or construction of the new one.
“Seems like bad times are coming – worse than 1918. And our “budget” Montenegrin citizens are not worried about the energy independence”, says Raonić.
Member of the DPS, Filip Vuković, sees the situation differently.
“The whole region has signed the membership in the energy community as one of the prerequisites for the EU accession. It’s transparent how the prices of electricity are harmonized, regardless whether it’s imported or exported”, says Vuković.
He thinks that the construction of the Second block would resolve the problems provided that it is harmonized with the EU standards, so that it doesn’t pose a problem regarding Chapter 27. That’s a crucial issue for our state.
Energy Regulatory Agency reported recently that the prices of the usage of electric and distribution system will be higher by 0,78% in the next year. The company is obliged to publish the prices of electricity for 2019 by the middle of this month.
