Energy crisis, civil society invites Government to take steps

Organisations from civil society have asked the country's executive to immediately approve the funding of consumers in need and adopt a package of resurrection, which will focus on the energy sector. On the other hand, in KEDs they say there is still no current expensiveness, since they say for the following months there is no speculation that there will be price hikes.

As for rising prices, Industry and Trade Minister Roseta Hajdari without wanting to talk about future actions, says the current department of this ministry is constantly collecting complaints from consumers, who, according to her, will be treated.

These complaints and requests are directed to the Competition Authority, so it's not all in the Ministry of Industry, Intervention and Trade competence, but in close co-operation with the Competition Authority. We expect the future board of competition authority to intensify co-operation with our ministry... Yes, the Ministry of Industry, entrepreneurship, is collecting all consumer complaints to discuss competition authority”, she points out.

The “Newco Ferrnikli” plant on Friday has temporarily halted production due to the high electricity price.

Dardan Abazi, senior researcher at the Institute for Development Policy (INDEP), says that even our country as though Albania will be affected by the energy crisis, while stressing that Kosovo is unprepared to deal with this crisis.

This especially affects import prices, and of course Kosovo will be affected by this energy crisis. What needs to be noted is that we as societies and as a country are unprepared to deal with such crises. In the oil sector we haven't yet adopted the Law on Compensable Oil Reserve that would allow us a supply of reserves that could ease these kinds of crises. On the other hand, even in the power sector we haven't yet established the funding of consumers in need. We do not have support schemes for consumers who are most affected and do not have sufficient internal and decentralised capacities which could produce more at this time of crisis”, he points out.

In fact, Ahaz has said that electricity and derivative prices have already begun to cost off until he has called on the Government to take action against the crisis.

We're already seeing some of the energy prices that are growing, especially in the oil sector, and fuels, so we're just facing this crisis. On the other hand, electricity companies that import energy at very high import prices at the time when we will need more energy, especially in these winter months, and of course these will be consequences especially in the fact that there will be much greater cost of energy purchase abroad than planned. Thus, in the annual adaptation of energy tariffs, this can be reflected with an increase in energy prices for bottom consumers. This will especially affect consumers who, at the very least, can afford to raise energy prices... so we call on the government to immediately approve the consumer fund in need, announce a resurrection package that will focus on the energy sector, and thus it is the recovery to be greener. Therefore, in this way we can jointly cope with this” crisis, Abazi says.

KED spokesman Viktor Buzha tells Kosovo priss that electricity prices cannot speculate what will happen, as it says depends on many factors for energy acts to be established.

Buzhala has denied applying to the Energy Regulatory Office (ZRRE) for price hikes.

The whole world is in an energy crisis, of course this has affected the region as well, Albania has already declared its state of emergency energy. Of course it is Kosovo is an integral part of the Balkan and European energy system and is normally infected by these movements. Currently, import prices are statistical, and fourfold year-on-year. Fatism is that we are not currently importing any large amount, since local production is enough. The demand has not yet increased and we are in normal parameters so far. Of course expectations are to change any situation, but we can't speculate about what's going to happen. The initial situation is known to be not like last year, the parameters have changed. All energy agents will be evacuated in this situation, who will sit and watch as they proceed. Depending on the situation, because it is not known what consumption and production will be”, he says.

He has also denied that there have been increased electricity prices for years now.

No, there have been no price hikes now and several years, and in some cases there has even been a slight decline. We're talking about a seven-year period where energy prices have not increased under any circumstances. It continues to be what it was, rather, the total tariffs that were during the winter have been eliminated. Yes, we are talking about a normal situation, which in no circumstances represents growth”, he says.

Otherwise, Albania is in emergency condition, until April 15th, 2022. The Albanian government has announced for the following six months the emergency situation in power supply. Under the decision, energy operators must suspend investments to ensure flow without interruption, while the government must secure funds to successfully pass the extraordinary situation.