Electricity prices: North Tyrol top, South Tyrol flop
“Why does electricity cost more than twice as much here as it does in Innsbruck, for example? 46 cents here, compared to 21 cents per kWh in Innsbruck, how can that be?”, posted Paul KoellenspergerTeam K boss, recently on his Facebook page.
In fact, electricity prices in South Tyrol have exploded within a year and increased by a whopping 129 percent, like the Consumer Protection Association Robin pointed out in his recent press release (UT24 reported). According to the regulatory authority for energy, grids and the environment, ARERA, the reference price for a typical customer (annual consumption 2,700 kWh, connection 3 kW) has been since January 1st, 2022 46.03 cents per kWh, including all taxes. In the first trimester of 2022 alone, the costs are around compared to the last trimester of 2021 55 percent up: A year ago, 1 kWh still cost 20.06 cents (Increase + 129 percent). “If nothing changes in the price of electricity, the average South Tyrolean household with a consumption of 3,300 kWh will have annual costs of over 1,500 euros to be expected”, criticizes the consumer protection association and refers to the situation in Austria. In Innsbruck, for example, on the open market, the inexpensive Innsbruck municipal utilities with an annual consumption of 3,300 kWh of green electricity at the current electricity price are 696 euros, i.e 21.09 cents/kWh, calculated. In Vienna (excluding green electricity) you also pay 870 euros from the distributor Wien Energie 26.36 cents/kWh (Source: tariff calculator. E-Control, prices without new customer discounts).
Not only consumer advocates and politicians became aware of the problem of exorbitant price increases, the local media landscape also dealt with this topic. In a well-regarded article in the New South Tyrolean daily newspaper journalist Heinrich Schwarz asked why South Tyrol is so affected by skyrocketing electricity prices despite its own hydropower. For this he has with the Director of the South Tyrolean Energy Association, Rudi Rienzner, met for a conversation. He explained that South Tyrol is subject to the rules of the national regulatory authority for energy. The provincial energy company Alperia could not sell the electricity produced by hydropower directly to customers, but would have to feed it into the national grid. The state regulatory authority sets the price for the electricity that is released to customers from this national market. During this discussion, Rienzner also emphasized the possibility for electricity cooperatives that existed before 2010 to decouple from this national system. They could sell their electricity directly to the members. The district heating plants are also decoupled from the national system, so their customers are not subject to the general price increases for heat from heating oil and gas, says Rienzner, who is demanding that politicians Autonomy laws also in the electricity sector are to be implemented.
The Facebook post mentioned above also asks why those responsible in politics never thought of using the powers granted by the Statute of Autonomy for South Tyrol in this area of electricity generation for the benefit of families and companies Paul Koellenspergerwho announced this Topic soon in the state parliament bring in
Austria’s package of measures against rising prices
Not only Italian hat with high electricity prices to fight, the whole of Europe is currently showing the highest price increases for years. They don’t stop at Austria and Tyrol either. Am Governor Günther Platter announces on Friday to do everything in his power to keep the price of electricity in Tyrol low. In the same breath, he welcomes the immediate measures taken by the federal government to combat inflation. These see, inter alia, a suspension of Green electricity flat rate and the green electricity subsidy for 2022 as well as a cost-of-living adjustment for particularly vulnerable groups. “Over the past few days, I have been continuously discussing the effects of the suspension of the green electricity flat rate and green electricity subsidy with the state energy company TIWAG (Tiroler Wasserkraft AG) and comparing this to the price increases that can be expected in Tyrol,” says Platter. The result is a moderately designed price policy, as a result of which the increase WILL make less of a difference than the suspension of the green electricity flat rate and green electricity subsidy. LH Platter confirmed that this would not result in any additional burden for the average Tyrolean private household.