EDP ​​estimated cost of 13 million with social tariff in 2016 – publico

                 

                         
                     

                         

                 

 
 

President of EDP, Antonio Mexia, said on Friday that the company has in its budget for this year a euro spent 13 million to the social tariff.

In February the company had assigned discounting the social tariff to about 116,000 households and expects to close the year with “about 250,000″ customers covered for this benefit, he explained António Mexia in a telephone conference with analysts.

So, EDP included in the budget for this year a value between “12 to 13 million euros” to cover the costs of the social tariff, which gives consumers considered vulnerable invoice discounts that can reach 35%.

in its document of tariffs, the energy regulator (ERSE) estimates that the cost of electricity to the social tariff will be 32 million euros in 2016. This, in a universe of 521 thousand families, which was the target set by previous government. Of these, 23.2 million euros refer to EDP (10.8 million euros in the central CMEC and 12.4 million in the remaining plants), indicate data from ERSE.

Based on this value calculated by the regulator that the accounts of the Socialist Party and the Left Bloc to deliver the social tariff to one million people automatically (by applying the discount to the beneficiaries after a data crossing between the tax authorities and social security) They predict that the bill of power to the measure double to over 60 million.

this value is also necessary to add the ASECE (the extraordinary support energy consumer, cumulative with the social tariff), which was paid from public funds, but whose financing the two parties now want to transfer to energy producers. In the accounts of the block and PS, this support could reach 50 million euros with the automatic assignment of discounts to one million holders of electricity contracts.

The measure negotiated between the PS and the block should be delivered over this afternoon in Parliament as proposed amendments to the draft state budget.

on Thursday, the president of EDP argued that the European authorities are not favorable customer protection measures that burden companies. Mexia used a 2015 document from the European Commission to say that Brussels considers that measures to support vulnerable consumers should be financed by public funds or by other consumers who are not eligible for discounts (as is the case of social gas tariff, which is funded by the other gas customers).

Portugal has not chosen these ways, reminded António Mexia, stressing, however, that EDP does not question or “need” or “merit” of a measure such as social tariff.

Without advance if charging the entire business costs with the social tariff and ASECE may be reflected in an increase in electricity prices, President of EDP commented that the solution advocated at European level is “the most fair and effective” because “allows the system [electric] is more efficient and does not result in uncontrolled ascents of tariffs”.