Electricity vouchers to be issued as of October 1

As a permanent entitlement for vulnerable social groups and in order to fight energy poverty, 60,000 to 70,000 poor households will receive vouchers worth HRK 200 (EUR 26.2) monthly, starting on October 1, Government of Croatia said on its website.

The agreement was signed by Prime Minister Zoran Milanović, the state-owned HEP power company’s chief executive Perica Jukić, GEN-I’s Robert Golob of and RWE’s Ralf Blomberg, report  by Hina news agency said.

Milanović said the plan had been devised this spring and that talks took months. The vouchers will be funded by the solidarity charge of 0.004 euro cents per kWh of power consumed, while households that spend more than 3 MWh per year will pay EUR 11.8 plus tax. Power suppliers will absorb the cost, Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak said. He added suppliers are able to withstand the expenses because of cheaper operations due to a set of measures for development and liberalization of the power market.

Earlier, the government adopted an amendment to social welfare legislation, authorizing social care centers to distribute the vouchers and certify the right to use them.