Enel: Energy prices to grow for the population in coming years

Electricity prices will grow for household consumers in the next years and will drop for small companies, Enel Romania CEO Luca D’Agnese stated in a press conference. “In Romania we still have crossed subsidies, prices for small companies will be reduced due to competition and liberalization and there will probably be price hikes for residential clients, but which will be diluted over a significant period of time, considering the liberalization timetable”, D’Agnese stated. The liberalization of energy prices means the gradual elimination of tariffs established by the National Energy Regulatory Authority, so consumers will buy increasingly more energy from the free market; the liberalization will be separately implemented for industrial consumers and households, according to Mediafax. Under the Government’s commitments to the International Monetary Fund and European Commission, for the industrial consumers regulated prices will be fully eliminated by December 31^st 2013. As for household consumers, the acquisition percentage from the competitive market has to grow to 10% in July 2013, from the current level of 0%, to 20% in January 2014, 30% in July 2014 and 40% in January 2015. Other growth stages of 10% were set for July 2015, January and July 2016, January and July 2017, to reach 100% in December 2017.