The situation with heating supply should be regulated by the Public Utilities Commission (SPRK) and the Ministry of Economics, noted in the parliamentary investigative commission on the investigation of rising heating costs in Riga, former head of the Competition Council (KP) Juris Gaikis.
He expressed this opinion in response to a question from the chairman of the commission, Andris Kulbergs, about who should take responsibility for addressing the issue of rising heating costs.
"Everyone has benefited, for example, 'Latvenergo' - a super winner with super profits, followed by all independent suppliers who are swimming in money, the fool is 'Rīgas siltums', which operates at a loss but practically provides this regime for all merchants, but the biggest fool in this story is the resident who brutally overpays for the heating tariff but receives nothing in return, receiving a slowly deteriorating central heating system because nothing is being invested to maintain it in its current state," Andris Kulbergs lamented on TV24.
As previously reported, in November, parliamentarians established a parliamentary investigative commission to analyze the reasons for the rising costs of centralized heating in Riga and the associated risks to energy security.
The decision to create the commission stipulates that within six months it must assess a number of issues, including the efficiency of thermal energy procurement, the use of residual heat, environmental impact, the justification of state support, quality of management, as well as the procedures for selecting board and council members of AS 'Rīgas siltums' and AS 'Latvenergo'.
The commission will need to determine whether there are systematic deficiencies that contribute to rising costs and threaten energy security in the future, according to the decision to establish the parliamentary investigative commission.
This summer, 'Rīgas siltums' plans to raise thermal energy tariffs in the fall were criticized.
The initially presented thermal energy tariff to the regulator by 'Rīgas siltums' with an unforeseen expenses component of 2.05 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh) proposed an increase of 21.5% - to 90.15 euros per MWh. However, after the tariff review, the thermal energy tariff of 'Rīgas siltums' increased by 11.9% from October 1 of this year, reaching 83.01 euros per MWh.
Leave a comment