Prague shines 200 million crowns a year. The rise in energy prices will mainly affect transport
The worst of the city companies is the transport company. Although he has long-term contracts with suppliers, he fears that they could terminate them. As the transport company takes place in a press release on Tuesday, the purchase of power and gas is now the main topic addressed by its management. He buys them on the Prague Energy Exchange in the form of continuous purchases of smaller volumes.
“Thanks to this purchasing policy, we are able to compensate for smaller and predictable fluctuations in electricity prices in the markets. However, since August, the electricity market has been behaving completely unpredictably, the predictions from the evening do not apply, the prices have broken historical records several times, “complained the director of the transport company Petr Witowski.
The sharp rise in electricity prices will have a significant effect on cost growth in the following year. “Next year, we will pay about 60 percent more for electricity than this year, but with our volumes, this means an additional 560 million crowns. Other negative effects are the rise in oil prices, which may mean an increase in operating costs by another tens of millions of crowns next year, “Witowski described.
According to the deputy for transport Adam Scheinherr (Prague himself), the company will be partially saved thanks to a new law, which the deputies approved in June. “She says that transport companies do not have to pay a surcharge for every kilowatt for alternative energy sources, which we will save around 150 million crowns a year, and we will see what energy will be if it goes to close numbers,” says Scheinherr.
The problem also concerns transport companies of other cities, together it is solved at the Association of Transport Companies of the Czech Republic (SDP ČR), which associates 21 transport companies mainly in regional cities. “Next year is a big unknown for transport companies from the point of view of management,” says the chairman of SDP ČR, Tomáš Pelikán.
Prague may shine less
Nevertheless, the budget of Prague is not yet endangered. According to the deputy Pavel Vyhnánek (Prague himself), who is in charge of the city coffers, the prices of building materials will usually be much more affected by it.
“For other items, I dare say that it does not play such an important role. However, on the contrary, the city budget is not turbulent changes in energy, but in construction due to rising prices of building materials, “says Vyhnánek.
According to him, the increase in the price of construction projects can be ensured by 20 to 30 percent. “It simply came to our notice then. Historically, however, Prague has been very underinvested and we are doing everything we can to stop stopping projects. Then we have to step on the brakes of current expenses, they will definitely grow and the discussion about them is very demanding, “describes the deputy.
Technology hl. The cities of Prague, which are in charge of public lighting, set out on a path of savings several years ago. The amount of 200 million crowns shines on public lighting every year, and energy prices are fixed for the year ahead. “Prices will not show until 2022 when fixed for 2023. But we do not see savings in price fixation, this turned out to be very problematic due to the current situation, but in savings,” says the director of the city company Tomáš Jílek.
The company started a few years ago with the gradual replacement of old lamps with sodium lamps for energy-saving LED lamps. One average power of the old ones is about 80 watts, new LED lamps tend to be between 30 and 40 watts and last four times longer. According to Jílek, the city will save over 50 percent of European power on three to four thousand new lamps.
More than 10,000 of the total number of 140,000 luminaires have been replaced, and lamps with sensory dimming are already lit in six large city parks. Complete restoration is estimated at 10 to 15 years.
“We install thousands of new luminaires every year and we want to reach tens of thousands of luminaires that we are able to replace. We save 30 to 50 percent of electricity on them. This means that lighting costs should not rise due to technological progress, not due to trade policy. If there is a 10% reserve of electricity prices, then we must strive for the same amount of savings, “adds Jílek.