Dear bills in San Marino, the Authority for Energy speaks: “Anachronistic to maintain a fixed tariff for electricity and gas”
The Authority for the regulation of public services and for energy is working on the new tariff system in San Marino “In the most transparent and fair way possibleguaranteeing AASS operations and sustainability on the one hand and flexibility, fairness and ease of reading on the other, aware of the importance of this change for the social and economic realities of the country “.
The members of the Authority Marco Faces, Marco De Luigi, Marco Silvagni thus intervene in a note on‘Higher cost of bills on Titan announced.
“It is known to all – writes the Authority – how, starting from September 2021, the energy markets have been characterized by huge increases that have seen the price indices of electricity and natural gas reach their all-time highs. , with spot and forward values too 10 times higher than those of early 2021.
In this energy scenario, the increases already approved by this Authority in recent months are to be understood, as already indicated in the resolution, as a mediation between the social aspects and the economic sustainability of the supplying body (AASS). Suffice it to say that the average electricity tariffs in the area currently amount to € 0.163 / kWh, while the PUN (Single National Price, reference price of electricity in Italy purchased on the power exchange) in August reached 0.543. € / kWh and those of gas at € 0.81 / Sm3, with the TTF (Title Transfer Facility, natural gas stock exchange index) of August equal to € 2.3714 / Sm3.
The instability and uncertainty of the markets – explains the Authority – pays off the maintenance of a fixed rate is anachronistic for electricity and gas the operational supply work by AAAS is highly difficult. It is clear that the formulation of new fixed tariffs could only be defined as a continuous chase after predictable market scenarios.
For these reasons, the Authority is working uninterruptedly on the formulation of one new rate indexed, variable with market trends, on the basis of an AAAS proposal dated 14 October 2022, capable of responding to the operations of AAAS, of suitable for markets and to protect citizensundergoing reductions in case of exhaustion of energy prices, as is happening in recent days “.
But the members of the Authority try to look at the glass half full: “The Republic of San Marino also enjoys numerous benefits. The work of AAAS and its consultants has allowed us to define some financial contracts, aimed at covering part of San Marino’s energy needs. For natural gas, for example, a financial agreement was signed up to 2027 with Enel Global trading SpA, which sets the price for the import of gas at a fixed power of 45 MW. This constant power is unable to respond to the daily peaks in demand nor to follow the consumption curves of population and businesses, creating a surplus in summer and a deficit in winter and forcing AAAS to purchase raw materials, always and in any case from the free market.
The economic value of these contracts, directly tariff to the value of the energy price at a given moment, must necessarily be taken into consideration also in the formulation of the new indications, guaranteeing greater competitiveness at San Marino tariffs “.
Therefore, the Authority explains that “it is clear that the correct and fair definition of the weights of all the factors involved (purchase price by AASS, financial benefits, risk factors, fixed costs and profits) is fundamental for the delineation of the new tariff system. The Authority intends to do this in the most transparent and fair way possibleguaranteeing AAASS operations and sustainability on the one hand and flexibility, fairness and ease of reading on the other, aware of the importance of this change for the social and economic realities of the country.
For this he is at work in constant comparison with AASS to achieve the best final result in the shortest possible time but still sufficient to settle every technical and procedural issue ”concludes the note.