High voltage power line. File photoMOSCOW, June 6Iceland, Liechtenstein and the Netherlands are leaders in the rating of European countries in terms of electricity availability, Russia is in eighth place, according to the results of a RIA Novosti study. At the same time, residents of Romania, Moldova and Latvia can afford the least electricity. According to experts, in 2021 the situation in the European, and not only European, energy market was close to a crisis. Prices on the wholesale market jumped several times, which in some countries even led to the closure of individual enterprises. It is noted that the reasons for the growth were weather conditions and rising energy prices, especially for gas, which has risen in price several times on the exchange.00:00InfographicRanking of European countries in terms of access to electricity for the population»Rising prices in the wholesale market have spread to the retail market, although in some countries tariffs are regulated to one degree or another. In this regard, the dynamics of electricity prices in different European countries was not the same, but mostly positive,» the explanatory note to the study says. Experts note that the availability of electricity depends not only on its cost, but also on the income of citizens. The rating is based on the number of kilowatt-hours that residents of various countries can purchase with their average monthly salaries. The leader of the rating, as in the past year, is Iceland, whose residents can purchase more than 29 thousand kilowatt-hours with their average monthly salaries. «Tariffs electricity costs are relatively low here, and salaries are among the highest in Europe,» the experts explain.Russian scientists have found a way to reduce electricity bills by a quarter In second place is Liechtenstein, whose residents can purchase 25.7 thousand kilowatt-hours for an average monthly salary. On the third — the Netherlands (more than 23 thousand). The last place in the ranking — Romania, whose residents can only purchase 4.1 thousand kilowatt-hours, which is seven times less than Iceland. In the penultimate place — Moldova (4.7 thousand), in third place from the end — Latvia (almost 5 thousand). At the same time, Russia improved its performance compared to last year, rising two places. Residents of the Russian Federation can buy about 13.4 thousand kilowatt-hours for an average monthly salary. Experts note that electricity prices have risen in almost all countries. To estimate the cost, all prices are analyzed in terms of rubles. The cheapest electricity in Kazakhstan, a kilowatt-hour, costs two rubles here. Turkey is in second place (3.3 rubles per kilowatt-hour).The energy apocalypse covered the great coal and gas power. Russia ranks third, the average electricity price is 3.7 rubles per kilowatt-hour. In fourth place is Belarus (about 5 rubles). Next come mainly the countries of the Balkan Peninsula and Eastern Europe, which have relatively low electricity tariffs. The highest cost of electricity is in Denmark (21.2 rubles). In Germany, Belgium, Ireland and Spain, the cost exceeds 17 rubles. «Compared to last year, almost all European countries show an increase in electricity prices. The rise in price occurred in 33 countries out of 39 participating in the rating. It is noteworthy that the largest increase was in those countries that are highly dependent on renewable energy sources, or that have a large share of gas generation.This is due to the fact that there was a sharp increase in the price of gas, as mentioned above, as well as the fact that in 2021, due to low windiness, there was a significant decrease in production at wind farms,” experts say. The largest increase in electricity tariffs is observed in Norway, Estonia and Sweden. In total, prices increased by more than 20% in nine countries. In Russia, the price increase was 4.2%, which is below inflation. Moldova, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Hungary — prices have declined. According to analysts, electricity tariffs in Europe are likely to rise again in 2022, as the situation on the energy market remains difficult, and the average annual gas price is likely to , will be significantly higher than in 2021. «At the same time, a corresponding increase in household income is far from guaranteed. Thus, it can be assumed that the availability of electricity for residents of some states may decrease,» the explanatory note notes. should be at the level of 5%, thus, while maintaining the current growth in wages, the availability of electricity for citizens will not decrease, experts conclude.
