Alliance Party has made a public statement saying that the key reason why the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) CJSC seeks to increase the energy costs is mismanagement.
"Minister of Energy Yervand Zakharyan also said in the parliament that the ENA's losses for the last years total 10 billion drams annually. The minister called it a theft, which is a criminal offence. Consequently, the minister's statement can be interpreted as a report on the crime," the Party says in the statement demanding a criminal case to be opened on the basis of the minister' statement.
"The Armenian public must not pay for the disorder, impudence, mismanagement and theft," the Alliance Party says in the statement. "The rising energy costs will have tragic consequences. It will lead in price hikes, closure of small and medium-sized enterprises, and boost migration."
To remind, on May 8, the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of Armenia received an official application from "Electric Networks of Armenia" (ENA) CJSC for raising the electric power tariff, PSRC Spokesperson Mariam Stepanyan has told ArmInfo's correspondent. Earlier, the company disseminated a statement about its intention to file an application to the PSRC. ENA (subsidiary of Inter RAO) suggests increasing the daytime tariff to 58.93 AMD per 1KW/h versus the current 41.85 AMD, and the nighttime tariff - to 48.93 AMD from the current 31.85 AMD. The PSRC may consider ENA CJSC's application for 80 working days. In case the Commission satisfies ENA's request, it will become the third rise in the electricity tariffs for the past 2 years. In July 2013 electric power rose in price from 30 to 41.8 AMD, with the nighttime tariff growing from 20 AMD to 31.8 AMD. The second rise in the tariffs (by 4 AMD) was registered in summer 2014. The authorities of the country (in the person of Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Yervand Zakharyan) are trying to shift the blame for the growth in tariffs to the "poor management of ENA CJSC and misappropriation". To recall, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Iosif Isayan said that ENA CJSC borrowed USD 220 mln against the guarantee of the Armenian Government. Consequently, if the company is unable to repay the loan, these obligations must be assumed by the taxpayers.