Eurostat reports gas prices in the Czech Republic had the biggest increase among EU countries, energy suppliers disagree
What does the Eurostat report state
Recently, the European statistical office Eurostat published the report for the year 2022 and it was revealed that in the second half of last year, gas prices for households in the Czech Republic increased more year-on-year than in any other European Union country. Furthermore, according to Eurostat data, the increase in electricity prices was the second-highest in the entire EU, reaching 97% on an annual basis, only surpassed by Romania (+112%). As for gas, the statistical office measured a 231% year-on-year price increase, a very high figure that worries Czech citizens. Slovakia, on the other hand, reached a growth of 18%, the second-lowest in the Union, and only Croatia recorded a lower gas price increase with an increment of 14%. In euros, the average gas prices for households in the second half of last year were the lowest in Hungary (3.5 euros per 100 kilowatt-hours), Croatia (4.5 euros per 100 kWh), and Slovakia (4.9 euros per 100 kWh), and the highest in Sweden (27.5 euros per 100 kWh) and Denmark (20.8 euros per 100 kWh).
The image below describes the gas prices rise over the european countries in Q1 and Q2 2022 based on Eurostat statistical data. A highlight on Czech Republic, Latvia and Romania registered the highest growth in gas prices compared to the other countries.
Czech suppliers disagree with Eurostat data
With reference to the data cited by Eurostat, it has already been reported in the previous paragraph that in the second half of last year, average prices for both electricity and gas were the fourth highest in the European Union. As far as electricity is concerned, the largest national energy supplier ČEZ disagrees with Eurostat’s data, opposing the prices reported. ČEZ claims that its customers paid a lower price than in the first half of the year, thanks to the government’s economic tariff, which had a positive impact on payments. Indeed, where Eurostat reports a 25% increase for the Czech Republic according to data published in the media, the energy supplier measures a decrease of 14% compared to the first half of 2022.
What is the reason for the discrepancy?
According to experts, the main problem with the published statistics is that in the Czech Republic, the prices cited are paid in percentage units of customers, so the confusion lies in the price lists. Eurostat uses acquisition price lists, which are the prices offered by suppliers to new customers, and these lists were prepared last year during the energy crisis from normal lists and usual fixed and indeterminate products. In the case of gas, the average customer paid, including the regulated component and taxes, 2,519 crowns per MWh, not the 4,662 crowns declared by Eurostat, and the increase compared to the first half of 2022 was 42%, while the year-on-year increase was 87% according to the suppliers. The same applies to electricity prices, in fact, Eurostat tables show that Czechs had to pay 9,410 crowns per MWh of electricity in the second half of last year, but according to Czech suppliers, the average customer found on their bill an amount corresponding to just over half of that.
Source: https://www.novinky.cz/; https://www.idnes.cz/
Source of images: https://pixabay.com/
Graphic Source: https://storyset.com/
