In Russia, prices for electricity for the population may rise, according to a letter from the Association “Hydroenergy of Russia” to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin dated October 12, which Izvestia got acquainted with.
This may happen due to a 2.5-fold increase in the rates of payment for the use of water bodies for hydropower purposes, the document says.
The proposal to increase the tax burden on the use of water resources was discussed at the Commission on Budgetary Projects back in August, later the Ministry of Natural Resources announced the amount of the proposed tax increase. Business received payments only in October, said the head of the association, Oleg Lushnikov, to Izvestia.
“The increase in rates provided for by the draft resolution is unacceptable, <...> does not correspond to the goals and directions of the implementation of sustainable (including green) development of the Russian Federation”, – stated in the letter of power engineers to Mikhail Mishustin.
It notes: the adoption of the measure will lead to an increase in the cost of generating electricity from hydroelectric power plants by more than 50 billion rubles in 2022-2025
“The increase in rates for water consumption will affect the increase in prices for electricity sold by HPPs at tariffs for the population and equated categories of consumers, as well as on the technical safety of the operation of hydropower facilities,” the association said in a letter.
The Ministry of Energy told Izvestia that the proposal of the Ministry of Natural Resources requires additional study, since it entails a significant increase in the share of costs for the use of water hydroelectric power plants.
Read more in the exclusive material from Izvestia:
Vodopovod: business warned the Cabinet of the risk of rising electricity prices