Around 77.000 residents of Sarajevo who use gas in their households, as well as other users in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), could be left without this energy source due to a dispute between two entity gas distributors over its price.
This is the result of mutual accusations and blackmail between the distribution companies, Sarajevo’s Energoinvest from the FBiH and Sarajevo-gas from Istocno Sarajevo in the other BiH entity, Republika Srpska (RS).
While Energoinvest claims that the company from IstocnoSarajevo raised the price without the regulator’s approval, Sarajevo-gas argues that they have the right to charge more for the gas.
Gas cut off for the entire FBiH?
Given that the gas supply has been cut off for the entire FBiH, it is currently very difficult to predict how many days households in the Canton Sarajevo (CS) will have gas, they added in Sarajevogas.
Due to the gas supply interruption, an urgent session of the FBiH Parliament’s Committee on Energy, Mining, and Industry has been requested.
The Federal Minister of Energy, Mining, and Industry, Vedran Lakic, stated that he had a phone conversation with Petar Djokic, the RS Minister of Energy and Mining, and they agreed to immediately ensure the uninterrupted supply of gas to the citizens of Sarajevo and Istocno Sarajevo.
“We also agreed that representatives of Energoinvest and Sarajevo-gas Istocno Sarajevo should quickly arrange a meeting to resolve the disagreements. If necessary, the official position of the RS Energy Regulatory Commission can be sought, which would explain its decision,” said Lakic.
How did the problem between the companies arise?
The price of 14 BAM, which was agreed upon back in January this year, had to be confirmed by either the entity’s regulator or the government, as previously stated by the director of Sarajevo-gas Istocno Sarajevo, Nedeljko Elek.
However, Energoinvest pointed out that the company from Istocno Sarajevo did not provide the approval of the RS Energy Regulatory Commission.
They also emphasize that the director of Sarajevo-gas IstocnoSarajevo increased the gas price twice without the approval of the RS regulator, RSE writes.
E.Dz.
