Russian energy companies want to raise rates to protect against drones
Russian energy companies have proposed raising electricity rates for residential customers. They plan to use the proceeds to protect power plants from drone attacks and to repair damaged infrastructure.
The proposal to include these costs in a capacity surcharge was presented by Alexandra Panina, chair of the Council of Energy Producers. The idea was supported by Vladimir Rashevsky, a board member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, who called drones a “new security threat” alongside the wear and tear on power facilities and rising expenses.
The initiative to pass the costs on to consumers emerged against the backdrop of constantly rising utility prices in Russia, where electricity rates have already increased by 39.2% since the start of the full-scale invasion, and by the end of the decade, the cumulative increase is expected to reach 92.7%.
In addition, this year, the total cost of housing and utility services in Russia will rise by a record 17%—the highest since 2009—with a second wave of rate increases averaging 15% nationwide taking effect on October 1, following a 1.9% increase in January, and in some regions, the increase will reach 22%.
As a reminder, drone attacks did not prevent Russian oil refineries from increasing their profits.
Earlier, drones attacked a military airfield in Rostov-on-Don.
Also, in Yaroslavl, drones attacked an oil refinery on the night of September 17.
