Sanja Bozhinovska: Government will act to prevent price shocks, reservoirs at 40%
Bozhinovska says state will secure electricity supply and discusses regulator analyses and regional cooperation after Belgrade summit.
Energy Minister Sanja Bozhinovska said the Government will take all necessary steps to prevent price shocks for households and to secure electricity supply, noting that reservoirs are at about 40 percent — a satisfactory level for this time of year compared with roughly 70 percent during the summer.
Bozhinovska told reporters that the authorities are monitoring production and reserves closely and are coordinating with state energy companies to maintain supply security. She repeated that the Government will act to limit price volatility while acknowledging risks beyond domestic control.
"As a Government, we are doing everything to avoid any price shocks for citizens, since the largest number of the population — about 80 percent — is in the first tariff model. We will do everything to prevent any increases, but you know there are uncertainties. For example, you saw the war in Iran which can cause effects at the global level. Some things we simply cannot control, but as far as production is concerned, we will do everything for it to be at an excellent level, that is, we will seek to avoid any price shocks," the minister said.
Regulator analyses cheap-tariff options; regional cooperation in focus
On the question of extending the period of the cheaper electricity tariff next year, Bozhinovska said the Energy Regulatory Commission is conducting analyses. She added that the growing number of rooftop photovoltaic installations is already changing market dynamics and that she will meet the regulator's president to discuss possible options.
Bozhinovska also returned from the Second Ministerial Energy Summit in Belgrade, where she met her counterparts from Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. On the sidelines she held a bilateral meeting with Bulgaria's energy minister, Iva Petrova, and discussed deeper cooperation on battery energy storage, cross-border market integration and joint approaches to international financing for strategic projects. She said operational links between MEPSO, NOMAGAS and MEMO and their Bulgarian partners are being strengthened to increase interconnection capacity and market integration.
Photo: press material from the event
