First petrol, now gas?
Fuel prices have increased, will gas prices follow the same path? The answer is yes. One price hike usually gives way to another.
"This is the usual procedure, that's happening and nothing can be done about it. The fact is that gas in Croatia is cheaper than it is in other European countries, and that means that we can unfortunately expect gas prices to increase,'' stated Croatian energy expert, Davor Štern.
As Dnevnik writes on the 14th of May, 2018, over the past five years, gas in Croatia has never been cheaper. Moreover, according to Eurostat data, Croatia's gas proces are among the cheapest in the European Union. Ukraine, Turkey, and Serbia are the cheapest, while we in Croatia pay an average of 26 lipa per kilowatt. In Slovenia, the price is the equivalent of 40 lipa, in Germany, 45 lipa, and the Swedes pay the most at the equivalent of 89 lipa per kilowatt.
But, as far as Europe's terms go with Croatia's gas prices considered to be very cheap, for Croatian standards and for most of the country's residents, it's generally still seen as pretty expensive.
Until 2021, gas prices are determined by the wholesale market supplier. Currently that responsibility lies with HEP, which sells its gas at a fixed price of 18 lipa per kilowatt. They add to the margins where necessary, and in combination with a few more parameters, they arrive to the price of gas for households, which differs from city to city, and from place to place.
By July the 1st, the state has to announce a bid to select a new supplier on the market, which is, as mentioned, currently HEP, and a new supplier can ultimately bring new gas prices to households.
"After the announcement of the bid, and after a supplier on the wholesale market is named, then all the details will be known and prices can be talked about. We have no indication that any price corrections will be made in some period," noted Davor Šestan.
If there is indeed a rise in price, it is believed that it will be minimal.
