STA, 7 July 2022 - Petrol, Slovenia's second largest electricity provider and fourth largest gas provider, will increase prices in September, following suit of the competition. Prices are expected to rise further next year.
The price of electricity at Petrol will be EUR 0.14145 per kWh in peak periods, EUR 0.08778 in off-peak periods with a flat rate of EUR 0.12804. The prices will be uniform for existing and new customers with loyalty club members eligible for a discount.
The average household will see their electricity bill go up by 13% or about eight euros per month.
Gas will set households back EUR 0.08779 per kWh, which is a 43% or EUR 24 per month increase for the average household.
Petrol is not the first provider to increase prices. Gen-I has already increased gas prices, raising the average household bill by a third and will raise electricity prices in August by 18% per average household.
ECE and Energija Plus have already increased prices, while E3 and Elektro Energija are doing so in July, increasing the average household's bill by a fifth or a quarter, respectively, according to calculations by the newspaper Večer.
According to the 2021 report from the Energy Agency, Gen-I held the largest market share among electricity providers at just under 21%, followed by Petrol at 15%, then ECE, Energija Plus and E3. Last year Petrol and E3 saw the largest market share growth, while ECE and Energija Plus saw the largest drop. At the start of this year Gen-I has purportedly gained the most after some smaller providers withdrew.
Even after the price increases Gen-I and Petrol remain the cheapest, followed by Elektro Energija, while ECE, E3 and Energija Plus are significantly more pricey.
Geoplin was the largest gas provider with a 43% market share, followed by Gen-I and Energetika Ljubljana with 12 and 11%, respectively. The fourth was Petrol, which along with Gen-I saw their market share grow the most after owners in apartment buildings are no longer considered commercial customers.
Petrol, Adriaplin and Gen-I were the most affordable providers, while Energetika Ljubljana, Plinarna Maribor and Energija Plus were the most expensive amongst the large providers. After the price increase Petrol will be somewhere in the middle.
Energy providers emphasise electricity prices on the stock market are almost six times higher than a year ago and the increase is even higher for gas.
Facing a difficult situation with no good prospects and a large demand, the providers expect prices to rise in the coming year to rates of the most expensive providers.
The government has announced measures to mitigate the energy crisis, but it remains unclear when the measures will be ready and who will take on the financial burden.
