The 3.7 mln Romanian residential electricity consumers that have not opted so far for a supplier from the free market, fully liberalised since January 2021, will have to accept higher prices charged by the so-called suppliers of universal services - the incumbent suppliers.

As of January, the incumbent suppliers have hiked the prices by 70%-90% depending on the region, but the new prices will be charged only after April 1 - when the ‘cap and subsidy’ facility provided and financed by the Government is phased off.

The highest price will be charged by CEZ Vanzare in the southern part of Romania, namely RON 1.61 (EUR 0.32) per kWh - all taxes and fees included, 89% more than the current price, according to Economica.net.

The smallest will be charged in the region, including capital city Bucharest - RON 1.37 per kWh.

Currently, the price is capped at RON 1 per kWh and households using less than 330 kWh per month get a subsidy of RON 0.29 per kWh resulting in a maximum price of RON 0.71 per kWh. 

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andrei@romania-insider.com