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Inga Žilienė, president of the State Energy Regulatory Council (VERT), says that heat has been reduced by about half in eight years.
“It can be unequivocally said that in the upcoming heating season, Lithuanian residents will have the lowest price since 2012, as the heating price for October is forecast at 3.68 US cents per kilowatt-hour excluding VAT. . (…) The average price of heating has decreased by 53% in eight years, ”I. Žilienė told BNS.
“However, I would like to point out that this is the average price; there may be a slightly smaller decrease in individual municipalities. There are also municipalities in which the price is falling more than 60%,” he added.
VERT announced in late September that in October the average price of heating in the country should be almost 14.6 percent. less than a year ago (4.31 cents per kWh, excluding VAT).
However, for example, in Šakiai, Kelmė, Raseiniai, the heat will be more expensive.
“It would not intimidate the population: that growth is certainly not high, from half a percent to a small percent (…) In some cities, the increase is due to companies not collecting the actual fuel costs incurred in periods previous. This is covered during future periods ”, argued I. Žilienė.
Valdas Lukoševičius, president of the Lithuanian Association of Heat Suppliers, says that in some cities the price may increase due to additional investments.
“If new equipment appears that has to be paid for, then of course that component increases the price of heat accordingly,” V. Lukoševičius told BNS.
In October, consumers in the boiler room of the Pravieniškės correctional facility (2.61 cents per kWh with VAT) and residents of Kaunas (3.01 cents) should pay less for heating, and consumers in the branch from Litesko Biržų šiluma (8.29 cents) should pay more.
Compared with October last year, the heat for Kaunas consumers is expected to decrease by 27.5 percent in October and by 20.4 percent in Vilnius. at 3.4 cents, in Klaipeda – 13.7 percent. at 3.84 cents, in Panevėžys – 11.1 percent. at 4.49 cents, and in Šiauliai – 0.5 percent. at 3.89 cents.
The reason for the decrease in heat is cheaper biofuels and gas.
VERT states in its October forecast that it has evaluated preliminary information from heat providers on fuel and heat purchase prices from independent heat producers (CHP). Council President I. Žilienė says that the general decrease in the price of heat is mainly determined by the decrease in the price of biofuels and gas, and price differences in cities are also influenced by competition between LPG.
“For example, in Vilnius the annual decrease in the price of heating sold at auctions of independent heat producers is 19 percent, while in Kaunas, even 65 percent. This also significantly reduces the final price,” he said. I. Žilienė to BNS.
According to V. Lukoševičius, it is currently favorable to import biofuels from countries where trees have been attacked by pests.
“Large-scale logging in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Belarus (…) And now that the cheapness of biofuels is determined mainly by the import of Belarusian biofuels, because there a lot of damaged forests are cut down and waste travels to Lithuania . But, of course, Lithuania’s biofuel producers are suffering as a result. And they are trying to limit this in some way, they want to maintain a higher level of biofuel prices, “said V. Lukoševičius.
VERT included the average price of biofuels (raw materials together with transportation) in August in the heating price forecast for October, which was down 15.65% compared to August last year. Gas prices fell 15.52 percent during the year.
V. Lukoševičius claims that not only the price of gas is decreasing, but also its share in the district heating system.
“We already achieved a high percentage of biofuels in the fuel structure last year: gas has decreased even more significantly, now it is 72 percent. biomass, and only 20%. with a little gas (the total indicator for the whole of Lithuania is BNS) ”, he said.
According to him, for example, in Vilnius, the demand for gas will decline even more, as the Vilnius cogeneration plant will operate, which will use municipal waste and biofuels.
According to I. Žilienė, it is difficult to predict the long term of these downward trends in prices; They are highly dependent on global changes in commodity markets, but there are opportunities to reduce production costs.
“Companies are already thinking of more efficient sources of production, more efficient investments. We also believe that in the future, district heating providers will also have to think, and are beginning to think, about integrating renewable energy production facilities into district heating systems, ”he said.
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