January 19 (SeeNews) - Kosovo's government will allocate 75 million euro ($85.1 million) of public expenditure to subsidies for electricity prices for households and businesses, aiming to keep lower tariffs unchanged as import prices rise, the ministry of economy said.
The decision comes after a proposal by Kosovo's Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) to increase electricity tariffs by 9% for households and businesses consuming up to 600 KWh per month, the economy ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The government subsidies would also reduce the tariffs for households spending over 600 KWh per month. Under ERO's proposal, tariffs for these consumers should reflect import prices.
The cost of electricity imports rose significantly in the last quarter of 2021, the ministry noted.
The government recently introduced power cuts and banned cryptocurrency mining on Kosovo's entire territory in a bid to save electricity.
($ = 0.8816 euro)