The storm in the media had an effect. A bill has appeared in the government to mitigate the impact of gas increases. Apparently, it has been noticed that gas supplies, which are several times more expensive than the previous ones, do not concern only a few, but are a mass problem. Let us remind you that about huge increases clinics were alarming, buildings managed by municipal companies and cooperatives as well as local governments, which they intended to pass it on to the prices of, for example, public transport tickets.
A new bill, headed by Jacek Sasin, the Ministry of State Assets, is to be introduced special solutions for the protection of gas fuel consumers due to the market situation. It is to enable the launch of “extraordinary instruments increasing Poland’s energy security, and in the short term, supporting households, residents of multi-unit buildings, and some vulnerable customers“.
The list of sensitive recipients includes: hospitals, schools, kindergartens, nurseries and cultural institutions.
Covering solutions
The list of legislative and program works of the Council of Ministers indicated that “there is a need to introduce special cover solutions, enabling measures to be taken to minimize the negative socio-economic effects associated with a sudden, sharp increase in gas prices on the market. “The proposed provisions assume that cooperatives and housing communities will be fully covered by gas tariffs, and commercial premises will be excluded from them.
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According to Sasin’s announcements, the new solution is to be adopted at the next session of the Sejm, and the provisions would apply retroactively, from 1 January – Sasin said on TVP Info. Sasin stated that “it will make Poles safe, and the scale of gas price increases will be far from the market,” will be at the level of 50 percent.as for all households “.
The project provides for the introduction of mechanisms allowing, inter alia, to extend the catalog of entities covered by tariff protection until December 31, 2023 (Article 62b of the Energy Law Act) on certain categories of recipients who are entities performing tasks in the field of public utility.
Another solution provides for “confirmation and emphasis in the content of the law of necessity tariff protection of natural gas consumers in multi-unit buildingswho have not concluded individual comprehensive agreements or natural gas purchase agreements with energy companies “.
At the same time, the introduction of the mechanism was indicated compensation for natural gas sellers to tariff customers, “which would serve to compensate for the effects of the price freeze on the new catalog of tariff customers.”
Protection until 2023
According to the proposed regulations, gas sales to all households until the end of 2023, it will be subject to tariffication. Individual customers connected to the national gas network of high-methane gas may change the supplier, however all household gas sellers must have a tariff approved by the regulator.
An individual offer will be made limited in advance by the tariff. The ability to change the seller will depend on the location and availability of the offer within the distribution network to which they are connected.
Prices may rise further
The bill indicates a high probability new gas price increases this winter., which may persist in the coming years. It was emphasized that it is not possible to forecast the end of the ongoing crisis as well as the size and scale of the socio-economic effects experienced by entrepreneurs, households, residents of multi-unit buildings, as well as sensitive recipients such as: hospitals, schools, kindergartens, nurseries and cultural institutions.
The regulations provide for the granting of a statutory guarantee for liabilities incurred by gas suppliers at official prices for loans and issued bonds intended for purposes related to their core business. The regulations also provide for obtaining funds to guarantee the continuity of the so-called comprehensive service for household gas fuel consumers. This is to make it possible the granting of loans by the Minister of State Assets.
By design The Governmental Agency for Strategic Reserves will be added to the catalog of entities that can provide the so-called ticket service, constituting “an alternative form of fulfillment of the obligation to maintain natural gas reserves in relation to the purchase of the service on one’s own within the storage capacity offered by the storage system operator or maintaining the stock abroad”. The project provides the basis for the Agency to purchase natural gas on behalf of the State Treasury for the purpose of maintaining mandatory reserves.
In connection with the increase in prices, President Andrzej Duda signed on December 28, 2021. the Act on the Cover Supplement, which is to help some households to cover some of the rising prices, including gas. The supplement will be paid twice a year.
The first installment is to be paid by March 31, 2022, and the second installment – by December 2, 2022. The allowance will be granted to households with average monthly income – determined in accordance with the definition included in the Act on family benefits – not exceeding PLN 2,100 in a single-person household or PLN 1,500 per person in a multi-person household.
The cover allowance will be due for the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, and its amount will depend on the number of people in the household (PLN 400 for a single-person household, PLN 600 for 2-3 people, PLN 850). for 4-5 persons and PLN 1150 for a farm consisting of at least 6 people).
Regulated gas prices set by the Energy Regulatory Office apply to the majority of end users in Poland – as much as 86 percent uses the services of PGNiG according to the information from the Energy Regulatory Office. Here bills are expected to rise to 54 percent. The remaining group of recipients, as well as public institutions, have unregulated prices and have received increases many times higher.
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