Kosovo Consumers Hit With Major Electricity Hike

The Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) on Wednesday approved new tariffs for a 16.1 percent increase in electricity prices. With five votes in favor and none against, the ERO Board approved the new tariffs for consumers, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

At the next meeting, ERO announced that consumers will be supplied with electricity at the new tariffs from May 1 of this year until March 31, 2026.

The Head of the Tariff Department at ERO, Muharrem Gashi, requested the board to review and approve the retail electricity tariffs with an increase of 16.1 percent for all categories of consumers.

"I urge the board to review and approve the retail electricity tariffs for consumers with the right to supply and universal service to be supplied as of May 1, 2025 with a linear increase of 16.1 percent for all categories of consumers," said Gashi., transmits KosovaPress.

The Chairman of the Board of ERO, Ymer Fejzullahu, said that household or family consumers and small businesses with a turnover of less than 10 million and less than 50 employees are the two categories that will be supplied with the new tariffs of 16.1 percent as of May 1 of this year.

"I note that with five votes in favor, the retail tariffs for consumers with universal service are approved, as the criteria are set out in primary legislation. All consumers who are entitled to be supplied with universal service tariffs are household or family consumers and small businesses with a turnover of less than 10 million and less than 50 employees. So, these are the two categories that are entitled to be supplied through the supplier with universal service obligation KESCO for the tariff period from May 1 to March 31 of next year," Zejnullahu emphasized.

Meanwhile, after the approval of this point, Zejnullahu requested that the session continue behind closed doors, due to, as he said, the protection of consumer privacy.

Among other things, according to the agenda, the ERO Board has reviewed and approved the Transmission and Market Use (TSO/MT) tariffs – which determine the cost of transmitting electricity through the Transmission System and Market Operator's network.

The Energy Regulatory Office of Kosovo announced on Friday, April 11, that the average tariff increase for all categories of consumers based on the Maximum Allowed Revenues is around 16%, KosovaPress reports. Kosovo citizens will pay 16 percent more for electricity from May. This was stated by the Chairman of the ERO Board, Ymer Fejzullahu.

The increase in the price of electricity has caused numerous reactions from businesses, political entities, and citizens, and there were even protests.

On Friday, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry again called on the ERO not to increase the price of electricity. On the day when the Energy Regulatory Office held a meeting to decide on this issue, the director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kushtrim Ahmeti, said that the increase in the price of electricity at this time endangers jobs. In addition, concerns were also raised about the rapid process of liberalizing the energy market in Kosovo, for which it was requested that the parliament deal with this issue.

Businesses and citizens, it was said at the press conference, should not have to pay for the failures of institutions.

While the Kosovo Presidency opposed ERO's proposal, the Ministry of Economy said that the increase should not affect households consuming less than 800 kWh.