Shockwave for High-Power Users: Turkey Pulls the Plug on Electricity Subsidies
- Turkey plans to remove government subsidies for high-volume residential electricity users from February next year, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on October 30.
- "With the latest regulation made by the energy regulator, citizens and residences with more than twice the average monthly consumption, which is 417 kilowatt-hours, will start paying the...
- Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Bayraktar said the proposed regulatory change aims to target government subsidies to citizens who need them most.
Reuters
Turkey plans to remove government subsidies for high-volume residential electricity users from February next year, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on October 30.
“With the latest regulation made by the energy regulator, citizens and residences with more than twice the average monthly consumption, which is 417 kilowatt-hours, will start paying the real cost of electricity after February,” said Bayraktar.
Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Bayraktar said the proposed regulatory change aims to target government subsidies to citizens who need them most.
Out of about 40 million residential electricity users, high consumption users account for about 3% of the total, Bayraktar said.
Turkey has subsidized electricity use for years and government officials have repeatedly said that Turkish households have cheaper energy than in neighboring countries.
“These are the high consumption users, those with larger houses… and those with electric vehicles, and these will also pay the electricity price more according to its cost,” said Bayraktar.