site.btaNatural Gas Price Hiked by Almost 30 Per Cent, Effective April 1

Natural Gas Price Hiked by Almost 30 Per Cent, Effective April 1

Sofia, March 31 (BTA) - Meeting behind closed doors on Friday, Bulgaria's Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) endorsed a natural gas price for end suppliers and for customers connected to the gas transmission network at 363.26 leva/1,000 cu m or 39.04 leva/MWh, exclusive of excise duty and VAT, effective April 1, 2017. The price, applicable to the second quarter of this year, is 29.64 per cent higher than the price for the first quarter, it emerged from a EWRC press release. The price does not cover transmission over the gas transmission network.

The EWRC attributes the appreciation to the price of alternative fuels on the international markets over the last nine months and the stronger US dollar.

Despite the 29.64 per cent increase, the price of natural gas remains lower than in early 2016, when it amounted to 405.56 leva/1,000 cu m. Between 2013 and 2016, natural gas cheapened by 452 leva, i.e. more than 2.5-fold.

"The BSP [Bulgarian Socialist Party] categorically opposes the non-market increase in the price of natural gas and calls on the EWRC to review its decision," the Socialists said in a declaration which was adopted at Thursday's meeting of the party's National Council.

The BSP insists that all persons in charge, including EWRC Chairman Ivan Ivanov and former energy minister Temenouzhka Petkova, should take personal responsibility for the hike.