BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec.15
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
Consumer tariffs for natural gas are not planned and will not be revised this and next year in Georgia said the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava, Trend reports via Georgian media.
She made the remark while presenting the 2020 report of the Ministry of Economy.
As for Tbilisi Energy, as Turnava explained, this gas is supplied to commercial consumers by a private company, which is not regulated by the state and Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC).
The tariff increase for Tbilisi Energy is scheduled for early January. As for electricity tariffs, GNERC is involved in the process. Electricity distribution companies are suffering heavy losses due to the pandemic. Their incomes declined as the economy contracted and hence consumption fell. Other factors are affecting their economies as well including the exchange rate of the lari,
"But I want to say unequivocally that, as in the past, and the future, the government will do everything possible so that even in the event of fluctuations in tariffs, especially socially vulnerable segments of the population do not feel it," Turnava noted.
From January 3, 2021, natural gas will become more expensive for Tbilisi's commercial sector, except for bread enterprises, Trend reports via Georgian media.
In all other cases, if today companies pay 86 tetri (26.27 cents) per cubic meter of gas, from next year they will have to pay 24 tetri (7.33 cents) more - the tariff will reach 1 lari (31 cents) and 10 tetri (3.05 cents).
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356