Power utility will allocate subsidies for renewable sources
PRAGUE (11 January 2006) – This year Pražská energetika, a. s. (PRE) will support some of the Czech projects for construction of renewable electricity sources. Approximately quarter of a million Czech crowns has been already accumulated on a special account, which is since 2004 contributed with 10-heller surcharge to the special PREKO tariff by customers, who use ecological electricity. Only during the last year there were 251 new customers who applied for consumption of the so-called green electricity.
“At the end of January we will publish conditions based on which persons interested in this scheme nationwide can apply for the quarter of a million subsidy approximately by the end of March. At the end of March the expert commission of PRE specialists, independent power industry associations and institutions will select the best projects, which will be allowed to utilise these funds,” confirmed Petr Holubec, the PRE Spokesperson.In Prague there are in total already 341 households, 29 small businesses and one industrial customer – Ministry of Environment – who favour environment protection. Altogether these customers used 1 384 520 kWh of ecological electricity, which represents approximately 590 tons of brown coal necessary for generation of such amount of electricity.
PRE charges additional 10 hellers for every kilowatt-hour consumed in the PREKO tariff because the production price of “green” electricity is much higher than the one of electricity generated from coal or nuclear fuel. The company, however, does not retain this surcharge but accumulates it on a special account that was opened intentionally in order to support generation of electricity from resources, which are renewed spontaneously through natural processes – wind, water, sun or biomass.
In 2004 when PRE introduced the PREKO product the customers contributed to this account with less than four thousand crowns and PRE additionally increased the amount by one hundred thousand crowns. Last year, after VAT deduction, another more than 127 thousand crowns were added to this account. “Pražská energetika would be able to handle even the forty times higher demand for ecological electricity. In total, the customers who use the PREKO product represent only the half per mille of all PRE customers. We hope that other families, but also industrial customers, who are not indifferent to the environment care, will request this product,“ stated the PRE Spokesperson Petr Holubec. All customers who use green electricity will obtain from PRE the certificate confirming their ecological conduct together with a sticker which, when placed for example on the letter box, may become the signal confirming their positive approach towards environment.
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Pražská energetika Group (PRE Group)
is a regional operator of distribution system on the territory of the Capital City of Prague and the municipality of Roztoky through its subsidiary PREdistribuce, a.s. At the same time PRE is an important electricity trader on the wholesale market in the Czech Republic. With the gradual opening of electricity market for end customers the PRE Group is one of the largest suppliers of electricity that operates on the entire Czech Republic territory. The group sells electricity to almost seven hundred thousand customers.
History of power industry in Prague dates back to 1897 when still within the company called Electrical Works of the Royal City of Prague the foundations of public electricity network in Prague were laid. Following many ownership and organisational changes the joint-stock company was established as at 1 January 1994. Since its foundation this enterprise gradually developed into a modern, customer-focused company operating in the areas of electricity trading, sale and distribution.
For further information please refer to www.pre.cz.
