Energy sales in Prague 4: City Hall sells its company for heat
The company 4-Energetická radnice was founded in 2009. In the past, the inhabitants to whom it supplied heat complained about its functioning. “The property has been in poor condition for a long time. We all know that high investments are needed. That would have an impact on the population. “ said Councilor Jan Hušbauer (YES). According to him, there is a guarantee that people will continue to be kept warm.
4-Energetická now has two employees and two members of the Board of Directors. The city district considered the sale of the company several years ago, when representatives discussed it in June and September 2018. For the first time, they directly rejected the sale and, for the second time, withdrew from the agenda the sale document at the beginning of the meeting. The sale did not take place.
The current sale proposed by the town hall management is criticized by the opposition. “Conditions have changed since the negotiations with Prometheus, and this must be taken into account. Gas supply is constantly threatened. To replace the heat that is produced in the territory of Prague with dependence on Russian gas would be a big mistake,“said the deputy and former mayor Petr Štěpánek (Prague 4 to himself – the Greens and the National Library).
Opposition representatives Jiří Bendl (Prague 4 – Greens and National Library) and Daniel Kunc (Prague 4 – Greens and National Library) also expressed a similar opinion as Štěpánek. According to Bendl, due to the war in Ukraine, the energy policy of the whole of Europe is currently changing. The company takes heat from the wastewater of the power plant in Mělník. Replacing the heat from Mělník would be a mistake, he said. He also accused the councilors of not negotiating a purchase with Pražská teplárenská (PT), which showed interest.
Hušbauer said that the town hall was approached by both PES and PT. “But PT was not interested in continuing the negotiations, so we continued negotiations with Prometheus,” he said. PES Chairman Ludvík Baleka rejected concerns about gas prices and supplies. “Just because we own a PP doesn’t mean we have all our gas resources,” he said. According to him, the company uses heat pumps, photovoltaics and other sources.
Pražská plynárenská is one of the largest domestic suppliers of energy, supplying approximately 425,000 consumption points with gas and electricity. Its sole shareholder is Pražská plynárenská Holding, controlled by Prague. At the end of April, the Prague City Council decided to lend Pražská plynárenská two billion crowns to buy gas for the next winter.
The loan was praised by Prague’s deputies. We have also decided that the company lends on behalf of the company with which it lends. The reason is gas prices, which have been rising sharply since last year’s support. According to the company’s representatives, they have increased tenfold. Other costs are also significantly higher, such as guarantees from the market operator OTE, which the company will not cover from the approved loan. Securing gas supplies for the next winter period will thus be significantly more expensive.