The list of the 20 largest debtors that failed to pay their electricity bill to the EPS includes large Serbian companies, companies that are majority or 100% owned by the state, and even a city administration.
Debts towards EPS are astronomical, and only 20 legal entities have caused financial damages to the EPS worth 175.34 million euros due to unpaid bills, reported Nova.rs.
The list of debtors includes certain companies for which the government is trying to prove that they are in good standing, and among them is Telekom Srbija.
Serbia’s Telekom bought several small private companies and cable operators, invested in the media, and paid hundreds of millions of euros for the rights to the Premier League.
Meanwhile, the state and EPS tolerate the arrangements made by Telekom for the electricity used.
According to official data from the EPS, Telekom owes as much as 1.3 billion dinars from the beginning of the year to November 10. Telekom’s debt in euros amounts to 11 million.
The first on the list of the largest debtors is „Zelezara Smederevo“, which, as stated, is in bankruptcy. That company owes 4,659,796,056 dinars or close to 40 million euros. EPS emphasizes that on January 31, 2019, the bankruptcy proceedings of „Zelezara“ were initiated and that the entire amount was reported to the bankruptcy estate.
It is also stated that the entire property that was owned by that company was taken over by the new owner „New Silk Road Holding Co.“Limited“ from China, and that they continued to operate under the new name HBIS Group Serbia Iron & Steel“. Official data, however, show that the debt has not been reduced since the beginning of the year.
Next in terms of debt is „Infrastruktura železnice Srbija“, which is a state-owned joint-stock company and owes EPS 2,829,936,471 dinars or about 24 million euros, and in third place in terms of debt is the company „Enegetika“ from Kragujevac, which is also state company. It has a debt of 2,189,244,264 or 18.6 million euros.
Fourth on the list is JP PEU „Resavica“, which needs to pay EPS 1,456,474,723 dinars or about 12.4 million euros, while Telekom is in fifth place with a debt of 11 million euros.
Apart from the city heating plant „Energetika“ from Kragujevac, the heating plants in Bor and Krusevac also did not pay their electricity bills.
The public utility company „GSP“ Belgrade is also on the list. The company, which provides public transportation for passengers in Belgrade, owes almost 300 million dinars, or more than 2.5 million euros, for electricity.
The City Administration of Kragujevac is on the list as well. That city owes EPS more than half a billion dinars, which is about 4.7 million euros, for the electricity consumed by the city administration.
The total debt of 20 legal for electricity from the beginning of the year, until November 10, amounts to an incredible 175.34 million euros, N1 reports.
