Audit Chamber says power consumption norms bring no result

MOSCOW, Aug 25 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Audit Chamber believes the introduction of social norms of power consumption in pilot regions has failed to decrease consumption and reduce cross subsidization, the authority said on Thursday.

The authority analyzed the introduction of social norms in six pilot regions – the Zabaikalsky, Krasnoyarsk, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, and Rostov regions – in 2013–2015.

Cross subsidization grew in all pilot regions in 2012–2015, except the Oryol Region, the Audit Chamber said.

In mid-2013, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a ruling to introduce social norms of power consumption gradually under which power consumption within the established norm will be paid for at a low tariff, while excess volumes will be paid for at economically feasible tariffs.

The Audit Chamber said the basic sizes of social norms in the pilot regions varied from 65 kilowatt-hours in the Zabaikalsky Region to 190 kilowatt-hours in the Oryol Region, while the legislation implies a unified procedure to set the norm.

End