Pražská plynárenská will buy a heat distribution company from Prague 4
The procedure was criticized by the opposition, according to which heat will increase the price of people after the sale and its supply may also jeopardize the transition of some heat exchangers to gas.
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 Husbauer (YES). According to him, it is a guarantee that people will still be fine.
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 the deputies discussed it in June and September 2018. The first time the sale was aimed directly and the second time the document concerning the sale at the beginning of the meeting was withdrawn from the agenda. 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. It would be a big mistake to replace the heat that is produced in the territory of Prague by dependence on Russian gas, “said the deputy and former mayor Petr Štěpánek (Prague 4 to himself – the Greens and the National Library). gas.
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, Bendl said. He also accused the councilors of not negotiating a purchase with Pražská teplárenská (PT), which showed interest.
According to Hušbauer, 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 then rejected concerns about gas prices and supplies. “The fact that we own PP does not mean that all our sources are gas,” he said. He said the company used heat, 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.