OREANDA-NEWS  The wholesale price of electricity in the Far East at the beginning of the year for the first time approached the average prices in the rest of the country. In January, it increased almost one and a half times month to month — up to 2.8 rubles per 1 kWh. Tariffs have risen sharply since the government allowed them to include compensation for losses of the region's thermal power plants from the purchase of coal in previous years. A local business wants to complain to the prosecutor's office. However, RusHydro, which received losses of 35 billion rubles in 2022, claims that even with new prices, work in the region will not become profitable.

Wholesale electricity prices for commercial consumers (except the population) in the Far East have increased by one and a half times.

The average single-rate price (the cost of electricity and capacity) in January 2023 by December 2022 increased by 49%, to 2.84 rubles per 1 kWh, follows from the calculations of IPEM based on data from power supply companies.

For comparison: in January, the average one—stop price in the European part of the Russian Federation and in the Urals was 2.74 rubles, and in Siberia — 2.43 rubles.

The wholesale price is 30-50% in the structure of the final tariff of commercial consumers. The legal entity also pays for transfer services and a marketing surcharge.

The largest increase in the wholesale price occurred in Yakutia: in January, it jumped by 50.4%, to 2.9 rubles, says Alexey Faddeev from IPEM. In the Amur Region, the price was 2.88 rubles (an increase of 49.7%), in the Khabarovsk Territory — 2.84 rubles (48.8%), in the Primorsky Territory — 2.81 rubles (47.6%), in the Jewish Autonomous Region — 2.78 rubles (50.1%).

In the Far East, electricity prices and capacity for each thermal power plant are regulated by the state. RusHydro has been complaining about low tariffs in the region for many years and has achieved inclusion in the prices of compensation for losses of thermal power plants from the purchase of coal since 2011. When setting tariffs for 2023, "compensation was provided for the loss of income due to the increase in the cost of coal in connection with the adopted amendments to the legislation," the FAS explained.