- The maximum price of electricity in the second half of the year is to be PLN 500/MWh.
- Energy companies are to present new tariffs.
- The energy voucher will be awarded to the poorest, income thresholds depend on the number of inhabitants in the household.
Energy prices were to be unfreezed from July. However, according to the provisions of the draft Act, it is to be designated maximum price – PLN 500/MWh! As Paulina Henning Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment, says the maximum price is to apply to all households, with no consumption limits! The price is to be valid in the second half of the year, and energy companies will receive compensation for it.
„The draft act includes provisions extending the maximum price for electricity for household energy consumers. This price will apply in the second half of 2024 and is to be set at PLN 500/MWh” – we read in the announcement published yesterday in the list of legislative works of the Council of Ministers.
Energy voucher
According to the project, households with the lowest income are to receive support – an energy voucher. It will allow for the payment of part of electricity bills to consumers who are at risk of energy poverty due to low income. The draft law provides for income thresholds. The voucher will be awarded to recipients whose income does not exceed PLN 2,500 (in the case of people living alone) or PLN 1,700 per person (in the case of multi-person households). The voucher will also be used by people who use electricity-powered devices for heating – such as heat pumps or storage furnaces – support for them is to be increased.
The energy voucher will be used, for example, by retirees and pensioners with the lowest pensions, people in a difficult financial situation living alone in single-family houses, and other sensitive recipients. The Minister of Climate says that the energy voucher will reach 3.5 million households.
The presented draft bill does not specify the amount of the energy voucher or the form in which it will be paid. We still have to wait for this information.
Verification of who can apply for a voucher will be based on procedures that have already been developed. Therefore, it should look similar to checking eligibility to receive support from the protective allowance or Clean Air.
Change of tariffs
There will also be changes to electricity trading tariffs. The current tariffs were approved by the President of the Energy Regulatory Office in December last year. Since then, the market has stabilized and prices on the Polish Power Exchange have dropped. However, the approved tariffs are to remain in force until the end of 2024. According to the draft act, this is to change – energy companies will have to submit new tariffs to the President of the Energy Regulatory Office, which will be valid at least until December 31, 2025, i.e. another year and a half. As a result, lower prices will begin to appear in tariffs for households. Paulina Henning Kloska comments that it is time for companies to stop generating extraordinary profits.
Market price of electricity with delivery on the next day – on a monthly basis from December 2023 to now. Source: energy.instrat.pl
The changes are also intended to cover the gas fuel and heat markets. The maximum price of gas fuels will be equal to the approved tariffs of the energy company. It is also planned to continue support for heat consumers. The maximum heat supply price mechanism is to be extended until the end of June 2025.
Context
The draft act on the energy voucher and amending certain other acts was published in the list of legislative and program works of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, April 16. The Ministry of Climate and Environment, which is responsible for the project, has long announced regulations aimed at minimizing the negative impact of unfreezing energy prices on consumers’ bills. According to the plan, the bill is to be adopted by the Council of Ministers in the second quarter of 2024.
Source: www.gov.pl
