Electricity prices to go up; gas could get cheaper

The electricity prices will rise in Serbia by about 10 percent in the first quarter of 2010, energy Minister Energy Petar Skundric has announced. He told B92 that it would be clear exactly when and how much the prices would go up after a detailed analysis expected to be produced during December. Electricity prices to go up; gas could get cheaper The minister could not say whether that would be the only price hike in 2010. Skundric explained that the prices had not been rising because "we wanted to help citizens, households and economic entities cope with the blows of the global financial crisis.” He added that the government also “had to make sure” that the electricity producing sector did not suffer great losses as a result of low prices. Serbia's public power company EPS has recently announced that they would request a 20 percent price hike starting next year. EPS Director Dragomir Markovic said then that the prices should go up as high as 30 percent in order to make the production profitable, but that they would not in fact request this. Meanwhile, public natural gas company Srbijagas Director Dusan Bajatovic told Belgrade daily Blic that the gas prices should go down as of January 2010.

Electricity prices to go up; gas could get cheaper

The minister could not say whether that would be the only price hike in 2010.

Škundrić explained that the prices had not been rising because "we wanted to help citizens, households and economic entities cope with the blows of the global financial crisis.”

He added that the government also “had to make sure” that the electricity producing sector did not suffer great losses as a result of low prices.

Serbia's public power company EPS has recently announced that they would request a 20 percent price hike starting next year.

EPS Director Dragomir Marković said then that the prices should go up as high as 30 percent in order to make the production profitable, but that they would not in fact request this.

Meanwhile, public natural gas company Srbijagas Director Dušan Bajatović told Belgrade daily Blic that the gas prices should go down as of January 2010.