De Croo warned citizens as he visited a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Zeebrugge on Monday (22 August).
Belgians should prepare for the worst, the prime minister said on Monday Alexander de Croix, as fuel prices and electricity bills are expected to reach record levels soon.
De Croo warned citizens as he visited a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Zeebrugge on Monday (22 August).
“The next five to ten winters will be difficult. The developments are very difficult throughout Europe. Some sectors are experiencing serious difficulties with these high energy prices,” De Croo said in Zeebrugge.
“We have to overcome it. Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst. And if the situation turns out to be better than expected, it will again be good to be prepared,” he added.
Peak prices for diesel and heating oil are expected to hit another record high on Tuesday (August 23rd), while the price of B7 diesel per liter is expected to once again exceed €2 per liter and reach levels of July, the Federal Public Service of Belgium announced on Monday (22 August).
Electricity prices in Belgium – affected by price increases in France and Germany – they also hit a new record on Sunday (August 21). Prices hit a record high of 561.94 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) in the wholesale market on Sunday, surpassing the August 17 record of 541 euros per MWh.
The price increases are expected to have the biggest impact on households and businesses, whose average annual electricity and gas bills are expected to reach €2,154.58 and €3,791.10 respectively in August, estimates Vreg, the Flemish regulatory authority of the electricity and natural gas market. In April 2021, the average annual electricity bill was €894.75, rising to €1,581.85 in April this year.
In July, De Croo, who unveiled the country’s winter energy plan alongside Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem and Energy Minister Tine Van der Straaten, said Belgium’s security of supply would only be affected if problems arose elsewhere in the country. Europe.
“The question for this winter is not whether we will have enough [φυσικό αέριο και ηλεκτρική ενέργεια]’, but ‘if we can show the maximum possible solidarity with our neighbours’, Van der Straaten said at the time, adding that Belgium’s security of supply is not at risk.
Belgium’s winter plan aims to secure the country’s natural gas supply, in particular by ensuring the Loenhout depot is fully filled and by maximizing the Zeebrugge liquefied natural gas terminal – for which Belgium wants to increase capacity in the long term . The plan also urges energy companies to maximize energy production and avoid maintenance during the winter.
Saving energy among households and businesses is also one of the main features of the plan. “We all have a role to play. If we consume less, that will have an impact. I would like to call on everyone to become responsible consumers,” De Croo said in July.
Belgium wants too to increase cooperation with France in the electricity sector and increase natural gas supplies from its biggest supplier, Norway. Belgium relies very little on Russian natural gas (6.6% in 2020).
Read the News today and get the latest news. Follow us on Google News and be the first to know all the news from Skai.gr.
