SAPI: Corporate Sector Must Expect Further Increases in Energy Costs

Bratislava, December 21 (TASR) - While electricity prices for households will fall slightly next year, the corporate sector must count on a further rise in energy costs, the Slovak Sustainable Energy Association (SAPI) stated this week, adding that there will be an increase in charges for access to the network as well as a sharp increase in the price for support services provided by the Slovak Electricity Transmission System (SEPS). The association also drew attention to the lack of transparency in determining these charges. "Next year, inflation, that is the increase in the prices of goods and services, of 5 percent is expected. However, some tariffs that households and companies pay in the price of electricity will go up by up to 195 percent," said SAPI director Jan Karaba. According to the association, companies have to buy electricity on the market at prices that are on average 50-60 percent higher than those paid by households. A further rise in electricity prices due to network charges is expected to pose a major problem, especially for production companies, which face tough competition from outside the European Union. "In a situation in which it is crucial to be competitive not only in quality but also in the price of products in order to maintain production and employment, grid access charges are rising here by up to 20 percent. Energy costs are a significant item in many key sectors of the Slovak economy," added Andrej Lasz, secretary general of the Industrial Unions and Transport Association. am/df