“If we enable an operator to buy 15% of its energy on the free market, this does not automatically mean a higher price for energy,” Bode told MEDIAFAX in an interview.
The dignitary went on saying prices may even drop once the market is deregulated, since competition will increase.
“The gas law will follow the same principle,” Bode added.
A government document obtained by MEDIAFAX reveals that price deregulation is set to unfold in six separate rounds for corporate clients, between September 2012 and January 2014, while the process for households will include 10 stages, between July 2013 and December 2017.
Additionally, the government plans to eliminate a social tariff applicable to vulnerable consumers, the document noted. The social tariffs, aimed to protect low-income consumers from expensive electricity bills, will be lifted in three stages, between 2013 and 2015.
In Romania, there are 8.36 million household consumers, and the number of vulnerable consumers is estimated between 1.15 and 1.4 million (14%-17% of the total).