Canton Sarajevo Government to Subsidise Half of Increased Gas Price, Citizens to Pay the Rest

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Government of the Canton Sarajevo will decide at today's session on a partial subsidy for gas, which has increased by 37 percent from November to today. Neither citizens nor the economy could withstand such a blow without a subsidy. Prime Minister of the Canton Sarajevo Edin Forto said at yesterday's press conference that the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina had assured in the spring that gas costs would be reduced by 25 percent, but an increase of 37 percent occurred. Since April 2021, Gazprom's gas has been exclusively delivered via TurkStream, instead of through Hungary as in previous years. 

„We have not received a clear and transparent price calculation for us. I expect that the Government of the Canton Sarajevo will subsidise part of this price increase because 37 percent is too big a blow. For us, this is not just a matter of price increases but also of protecting air and the environment, because when this energy source is too expensive, people switch to coal and wood,“ Forto said.

The situation has further complicated relations between Energoinvest, Sarajevogas, and Toplane Sarajevo. Energoinvest has reduced the amount of gas to Sarajevogas, which, in order to supply its users, cannot deliver the necessary quantities for the Toplane system, forcing them to switch to fuel oil or alternative fuels. However, alternatives also require additional money. But that is not the only problem; citizens will also feel the cost of the gas price increase, as heating and gas bills will be increased by a certain percentage.

"We will do our best to ensure that at least half of this increase is subsidised. We will probably have to pass on one part as a price increase to Toplane as well, because Sarajevogas is the distributor in the Canton Sarajevo and will have to adjust heating prices for Toplane. Citizens and commercial buildings that heat directly with gas can also expect a certain increase," Forto stated.

Also on today's agenda is the Proposal for a decision on appointing members of the Independent Expert Body of the Government of the Canton Sarajevo for determining the validity of the calculation and the final proposal for the price of district heating of KJKP „Toplane – Sarajevo“ d.o.o. Sarajevo.