January 25 (SeeNews) - Slovenia's government has capped the price of district heating to cushion the impact of high energy costs, it said.
"The maximum allowed tariff rate for the variable part of the district heating amounts to 98.70 euro ($107.27) per MWh, and is valid for the period from January 1 to April 30, 2023," the Slovenian government said in a statement on Tuesday.
The regulation will reduce the cost of district heating in 18 public networks, out of a total of 59, whose prices have so far been above the cap, the Slovenian government said.
The largest reduction in the retail price of heat will be in the systems in Nova Gorica, Trbovlje, Hrastnik, Maribor, Ravne na Koroskem and Jesenice, which use natural gas as fuel, the government noted.
In October, the government set the maximum price of natural gas required for the production of heat for household customers at 0.073 euro per kWh. However, an analysis of the country's energy agency shows that there has been a disproportionate increase in the price of district heating in some systems, the government added.
Slovenia's government also capped the wholesale price of regular-grade petrol and diesel in March to shield the market from price fluctuations caused by the war in Ukraine. The cap was modified several times throughout the year and currently stands at 1.623 euro per litre of diesel and 1.464 euro per litre of petrol.
($ = 0.92011 euro)