The Slovenian government will provide financial support worth EUR 350 million annually for electricity and natural gas distributors to compensate them for their obligation to sell products at regulated prices, Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer said.
Based on two new ordinances, the government in Ljubljana provides compensation for suppliers who have to sell electricity and natural gas at limited prices, Kumer said in a video posted on the Slovenian government’s website on Thursday.
In 2022, more than hundreds of thousands of citizens and over 40,000 companies were entitled to direct financial assistance from the state with the aim of compensating for the impact of rising energy prices. The value of the support package is estimated at around 200 million euros.
Over 40,000 companies were eligible for a total of €70 million in aid, provided their energy costs increased by more than 40% year-on-year compared to 2021.
One-time payments of 150 euros were received in the first half of last year by 710,000 citizens, mostly pensioners with low incomes, recipients of social assistance and multi-member families.
In addition, lower network charges are estimated to have reduced electricity bills by around 30%.
Electricity and gas prices for households, small businesses and individual protected customers in Slovenia have been limited since September, and the regulation will remain in force until the end of 2023. In December, the government adopted a regulation limiting prices for public institutions and municipalities.
