So far it had been a good 2014 for the Italian light bills and gas prices with sellers on both fronts, but now the trend is reversed, especially for natural gas, and is the fault of the crisis in Ukraine. Yesterday, the Energy Authority has been forced to raise fares by 1.7% for electricity and as much as 5.4% for methane in the quarter from 1 October to 31 December (it will be so in the reference prices for households and small consumers in terms of protection).
In total, the average Italian family in the last quarter of the year will have to pay 19 euro more for gas and 2 euro more for the light.
As for the gas, were the tensions in international markets, linked to the expected seasonal increases in raw material and to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, to make mandatory the increase of 5.4%. Despite the rise in half-year of 19 euro, on the whole Italian consumers will close the year 2014 still active on the bill of methane compared to 2013: in fact, last year the family-type had spent an average of € 1257 for the gas, while in 2014 it will spend 1173, ie in less than 84.
Since last year, a reform of the calculation of the bills hooked Italian prices of natural gas to market in Europe, eliminating many negative structural costs. Explained the president of the industry Guido Bortoni: “With the old indexation to oil and long-term contracts, the cost for the gas would have been much higher. Instead, as a result of the new prices “European” in 2014, the family-type save 6.7% compared to 2013, and 5.3% compared to 2012 despite the increase in demand in Europe due to higher winter demand and the geopolitical crisis. The good news is that now the Italian consumers pay the feedstock gas like other European consumers at a price attached to the trend, upward or downward, of the major continental stock exchanges. ”
In the case of electricity, however, the quarterly rise of 1.7% is mainly due “to the recovery of deviations from the estimates of the cost of procurement of raw material, and the need to finance some system costs. ” Among these is the component for the safety of nuclear power (yes, we continue to pay for this item in the bill); the Energy Authority has already urged the government to reduce this heavy tax (while, for various reasons there is no hope to be completely eliminated).
The Authority Guido Bortoni moves on other fronts, in particular that of the bonus on electricity and natural gas to support the economically weaker: the Authority would like to extend the range of beneficiaries of the bonus, make wider access policies and increase the discount. Among the proposals to the government include that in the winter time users forced to delay despite the bonus is deferred the suspension of supply.
It also works to prevent the possible impact of the crisis on the Ukrainian availability and prices of gas and electricity in Italy (two interrelated because much of our electricity is obtained by burning natural gas in the central Russian). The Authority is filling gas deposits in reserve, collaborates with Europe to improve the exchange and aims to provide users with a hedge against electricity price increases.
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