The suspension of the electricity tariff hike in September risks complicating the entire segmentation process and the forecast horizon for 2023. Energy Secretary Flavia Royón said during her visit to Congress that the increases in the electricity distribution service in October will only concern level 1 (high income) or those who have not requested the contribution.
The removal of the grants would have been done in three installments: 20% between September-October, 40% between November and December and another 40% between January and February 2023. But that structure has already expired, because in September the grant was not withdrawn. In this way, everything is delayed for a month.
Also, in October there will be no corrections for “middle-income” users, that is, those who have kept some of the subsidies, but would also receive increases, according to Energy.
The final goal of arriving with regularized rates by March 2023 seems to be moving away. For the high-income sectors – which will lose subsidies – it is already a month late. And for the “medium” sectors – which should have kept a share of the subsidies – the postponement is even greater.
The Government is also blocked against those who have not registered in the register of beneficiaries of grants. The Ministry of Energy calculates that it could take up to three months (until December) to register families who may need subsidies in the tariffs but do not manage them.
Faced with MEPs’ questions on the future evolution of tariffs, Royón gave few answers. He specified that “From 1 October the subsidy is withdrawn partial to those sectors that have applied for the grant and have been classified as high-income users, as well as to those that have not applied for the grant ”.
In this way, on the one hand, non-registered users will continue to be sought by the Executive Power to be registered, but on the other hand they could be susceptible to increases of up to 50% (which is how much families will have a “high income “).
Energy must determine what percentage of those who have not applied for the subsidy are able to pay and which of the users who have not signed up really need state aid. The National Executive asked the provinces and distributors for collaboration to speed up this process.
The government believed that only 1.5 million households would not be registered in the grant register, or would be excluded from it due to “high incomes”. But then it turned out that there are – at least – 5 million users who have not gone through the grant process. This is three times what was initially expected.
There are at least two million more households who are not on the subsidy list and could not afford “full cost” electricity; according to official estimates. The Secretary of Energy has to find and identify them.
“The government says anyone who hasn’t signed up for the subsidy will lose it. They are talking about someone who has an apartment in Palermo, and earns well, that is the user who has in mind. But even the humble families of the suburbs have not signed up, because they don’t know how to do it, because it is difficult for them to fill out the paperwork online, or because AnseS does not deal with it ”, say the leaders of the sector. “And they can’t tell one from the other.”
Royón repeated that – during 2023 – it is sought 49% of the electricity system costs are covered by what customers pay on their electricity bill. The 2023 Budget Bill indicates a decrease subsidies as a percentage of GDP. They would decrease from 2.3% during this year to 1.6% in 2023.
Cammesa, the state-controlled electricity wholesaler, was on track to spend $ 9 billion this year. And the Treasury’s spending was expected to cover its spending of $ 6.5 billion in 2023. But that projection would decrease if segmentation couldn’t be implemented.
“Segmentation is already underway, in general users” (businesses or companies that use electricity to work), “defended Royón. Of households, he only said they will start paying in October. A promise that it can be done. dilute, as happened in September.
Source: Clarin
