‘Kıb-Tek move will curb rise in prices’

ELECTRICITY charges to public offices may go up in order to prevent a rise in bills for household and business consumers, it has been announced — at the same time as the cost of bottled gas went up by 35 per cent.

The new tariff formula was proposed by the Kıb-Tek electricity authority to prevent an anticipated hike on the back of a rise in the cost of fuel, and was accepted at a meeting on Wednesday between senior Kıb-Tek figures and officials from the Prime Ministry, Finance and Economy ministries.

The final decision on the scheme, to apply until the end of the year, will rest with the Council of Ministers.

Wednesday also brought the revelation that the cost of a 10kg gas bottle would rise by just over 35 per cent, from 59TL to 80TL.

An initial figure of 82.50TL had been suggested by fuel supplier Kıbrıs Türk Petrol, it was reported, but the lower figure was agreed during negotiations with Koop Gaz, one of the country’s three gas retailers. Finance Minister Serdar Denktaş said the other two, Jet Gaz and InterGaz, had not yet agreed the 80TL price tag.

The rise brought an angry reaction from consumers who predicted a difficult winter ahead for low-income householsds, many of whom had already switched to gas heating and cooking because of the soaring cost of electricity.

Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman said on Thursday the hike had been “unavoidable” because of a rise in the price of raw materials, rather than gas suppliers pursuing inflated profits and added an assurance that there would be no rise in electricity prices until at least January.

Mr Denktaş predicted last week that power prices would rise by 18 per cent in the new year.