• Friday, 22 November 2024

Parliament to hold session on state of energy crisis

Parliament to hold session on state of energy crisis
Skopje, 30 September 2022 (MIA) - Parliament is set to hold Friday a session to pass a decision extending the state of energy crisis by another six months, to be in force from October 1 until the end of April 2023, since the government decision on the state of crisis ends today after being enforced since early September. After a five-day debate at the parliamentary committees, MPs at the 86th session should debate proposals on approving the extension of the state of crisis nationwide due to the lack of electricity and the situation on electricity markets and the extension of the state of crisis across the City of Skopje due to the lack of heating energy, ways to use alternative fuel and the situation on heating energy markets. Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski yesterday reiterated that the heating season will start in Skopje on October 15 as negotiations with Serbia and Turkey are under way to provide energy. Speaking at Parliament's Q&A, Kovachevski said that the Economic and Energy Council had made decisions allowing all schools in the country to be included in the regulated market so as to prevent closures of schools and hospitals to be supplied with cheaper electricity through EVN sales. After the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE put forward a proposal on how to tackle the energy crisis, its leader Hristijan Mickoski invited PM Kovachevski to a debate on the solutions offered in the proposal. In the meantime, the Economic and Energy Council has decided to launch proceedings to issue license for heating energy production from the regulated market, where the elementary and secondary schools will be included, while all public health institutions will be supplied with electricity through ESM by much affordable prices than those offered at stock markets. On September 1, energy-saving measures entered into force with the institutions being obliged to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent and the households being recommended to save electricity.