Exclusiv: Care este pretul real al energiei electrice in Romania si cat il poate influenta bursa?Exclusive: What Is the Actual Price of Electricity in Romania and How Much Can the Exchange Influence It?

Scaderea consumului de electricitate cu peste 7 procente, pe primele 9 luni ale anului 2013, a produs in piata libera de energie o reactie cat se poate de fireasca. Pretul s-a cuplat cu cererea si, teoretic, au fost situatii in care pretul de piata a fost chiar sub cel reglementat. Cu certitudine, tranzactiile desfasurate pe platforma OPCOM incep sa dea un pret de referinta pentru energia produsa si vanduta in Romania, pret de care, se pare, nu se bucura insa nici o categorie de consumatori. Concret, marii consumatori industriali afirma ca platesc o factura la energie echivalenta, sau chiar mai mare decat producatorii similari din alte tari europene, iar consumatorii casnici din Romania sunt deja la nivelul mediei europene, in ciuda veniturilor diferentiate.

Scaderea pretului energiei electrice pe bursa, asociata cu scaderea consumului si a unei relative imbunatatiri a eficientei energetice, nu trebuie sa ne insele insa. Practic, pretul kilowatului pe care il achita fiecare consumator din Romania este mai mare, in ciuda scaderii lui pe platformele de tranzactionare ale OPCOM. Cum se explica acest lucru? S-a vorbit de productia mare si ieftina a Hidroelectrica, s-a vorbit de export si de contributia energiilor regenerabile, de eficientizarea generarii din domeniul producatorilor pe carbune, de influenta centralei de la Brazi a Petrom etc. Toate acestea pot fi luate in considerare, numai ca, orice consumator din Romania nu pricepe de ce factura nu a scazut, ci, dimpotriva, a crescut.

Vom incerca o explicatie fata de aceasta situatie in numarul nostru de maine, asociat si cu o comparatie pe piata gazelor naturale. The plummeting of the electricity consumption by more than 7% during the first three quarters of 2013 triggered a very natural reaction of the free market of energy. The price followed the demand and theoretically there were cases when the market price was even smaller than the regulated one. Certainly, the trading on OPCOM’s (Romanian Gas and Electricity Market Operator) platform begins generating a reference price for the energy produced and sold in Romania – but apparently no category of consumers benefits from it. Namely, the big industrial consumers say they pay equivalent or higher energy bills than their counterparts in other European countries, and the households in Romania are already at the European average, though their incomes are smaller.

But we shouldn’t be misled by the smaller prices of electricity at the exchange, in parallel with lower consumptions and relatively improved energy efficiency. In practice, the price per kilowatt-hour for each consumer in Romania is higher, despite its decrease on OPCOM’s trading platforms. What is the explanation? There have been mentions of the important and cheap production of Hidroelectrica, of the exports and of the contribution of renewable energy, of increased efficiency of the coal-based producers, of the influence of Petrom’s plant in Brazi etc. All these can be considered, but no consumer in Romania understands why the bills went up, not down.

We will try to explain this in our tomorrow’s issue, also comparing the situation with the natural gas market.