The Board of Directors of Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) announced several significant decisions aimed at alleviating the impact of increased grid service prices on household budgets. These measures will help users reduce costs and make it easier to settle their electricity bills, according to a statement from the state-owned electricity company.
- “These measures represent concrete support for our customers, further confirming EPCG’s commitment to quality service and responsible business practices,” the statement said.
As part of the new measures, households connected to the EPCG electricity distribution system will receive a 6.4% discount on grid services.
- This discount will be applied regardless of the outstanding debt for electricity consumption at the end of the billing period, in an effort to neutralize the negative impact of the increase in grid service prices on households. The discount will be calculated for the period from January 1 to March 31, the statement added.
Background
Earlier, the government and EPCG had indicated that there would be no increase in electricity prices. Even after the decision by the Energy Regulatory Agency (REGAGEN) to allow a rise in the regulatory revenue, which would have led to a 3.41% increase in electricity bills, it was stated that citizens would not feel this impact.
On November 19 last year, just a day after REGAGEN’s decision that average electricity bills would rise by one euro, Prime Minister Milojko Spajić announced that electricity bills would remain the same. This statement came after a meeting with former Energy Minister Saša Mujović, CEDIS director Vladimir Ivanović, and CGES director Ivan Asanović.
- “The government respects the regulator’s decision and maintains the stability of the energy sector, but has found a way to protect citizens. Therefore, after EPCG decided not to raise the price of active energy, citizens will not experience any increase in grid service prices. There will be no increase in electricity bills in any form for our citizens starting from January 2025,” the Prime Minister said at the time.
The government did not specify how it intended to achieve this, but former Energy Minister Saša Mujović previously suggested that the difference would likely be compensated to the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System (CEDIS) and Montenegrin Electricity Transmission System (CGES) from the state budget through subsidies.
About half of an electricity bill is made up of the price of the kilowatt, which is set by EPCG as the supplier, while the other half consists of charges and fees determined by the Agency (fees for CGES, CEDIS, and the Montenegrin electricity market operator, COTEE).
Discounts for regular payers
EPCG also continues to apply its traditional discount policy for households that regularly settle their bills. From January 1 to March 31, end users who have no debt at the end of the billing period and consume up to 500 kWh per month will receive a 38% discount on the value of the active energy charge, for members of the Gold Team, and 21.5% for other regular customers.
- “To maintain the Gold Team status, customers must continuously settle their obligations to EPCG. This status will be granted only to those customers who have no unpaid debts at the end of the billing period,” EPCG said.
The discounts apply to households whose consumption does not exceed 500 kWh, encouraging responsible and energy-efficient electricity use. This is important not only for the users but also for the broader community.
- “EPCG continues its policy of social responsibility, creating conditions for more favorable electricity supply for households across Montenegro. The discounts on grid services and electricity will allow users to better control their costs, with special attention given to those who consistently settle their obligations,” the company explained.
These measures are just one of many steps EPCG is taking to provide a secure and affordable energy source to all users while promoting energy efficiency and protecting vulnerable customer groups.
