Golob: Electricity prices for companies to be around EUR 200 per MWh in 2023

Slovenian businesspeople are eager to find out what the price of electricity will be next year, just like their peers in other countries. Concerned about the impact of the expenses on their competitiveness, they sought a meeting with Prime Minister Robert Golob.

The meeting on electricity prices and subsidies in 2023 in Slovenia was attended by representatives of eight business associations.

Slovenia’s Prime Minister Robert Golob said that the price of electricity with subsidies should be around EUR 200 per MWh. He claimed the business environment for Slovenian companies would not be worse than for their competitors.

Germany will apply the same subsidy model for firms

Golob said prices in the electricity market have started to decrease. It is possible they would drop further in the coming days, he added, but with a warning that he would not advise firms to wait anymore to sign supply contracts for next year.

Golob said that it is good news that Germany has opted for the same model of subsidizing the price of electricity for companies as Slovenia, and asserted that his government did everything that European regulations on state aid allow.

If a more favorable model appears, and the EU approves it, Slovenia will implement it, he added.

He estimated that the price of electricity with subsidies for medium-sized companies would come in between EUR 190 per MWh and EUR 210 per MWh, compared to EUR 170 per MWh for energy-intensive production.

Golob added that the government is looking for a solution to align the invoice due date with the subsidy due date to ensure the companies’ liquidity is not jeopardized. He said the issue would be resolved in January.

Šimonka: Only dialogue can save us

“Dialogue is the only thing that will lead us to a bright future,” said Tibor Šimonka, president of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce.

The Government of Slovenia recently adopted a plan to help businesses ease the burden of high energy prices. The EUR 1.2 billion scheme includes subsidies and liquidity loans.

Subsidies should cover between 40% and 80% of eligible expenses.