Financial Inspection Agency Starts Checks at Electricity Distribution Cos
The economy minister has ordered the Financial Inspection Agency to launch an audit at the three electricity distribution companies operating in the country on Friday.The inspection will seek to establish if the three companies - Austria's EVN and its Czech peers CEZ and Energo-Pro - acted in violation of the Public Procurement Act when outsourcing activities, economy minister Delyan Dobrev said, as quoted by local daily Dnevnik.
As one reason for the high electricity bills, which prompted a series of protests across the country in the past week, Dobrev pointed to the energy regulator's decision to include more expensive energy in the energy mix which determines the final electricity price.
According to the economy minister, for years end customers have been paying for the expensive electricity produced by thermal power plants Bobov Dol, Brikel and Maritsa 3, when only 70% of nuclear power plant Kozloduy's cheaper power output was included in the final energy mix because the rest of its was sold on the open market.
"More power plants with cheaper electricity output should be included in the energy mix sold on the regulated market, so that the final electricity bills could be reduced," Dnevnik quoted Dobrev as saying.