Energy, Energy Market, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania
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Friday, 19.04.2024, 21:51
Lithuania's energy watchdog: Vilniaus Energija's consumers overpaid another EUR 7.5 mln
The National Commission for Energy Control and Prices submitted the
information on the money overpaid by Vilniaus
Enertgija's clients to the Vilnius City Municipality administration, which
earlier filed a 350 million-euro lawsuit against the company to the Stockholm
arbitration, and to Vilniaus Silumos
Tinklai (Vilnius Heating Networks,
VST) which took over the Vilnius heating business in April, 2017.
In the fall of 2016, NCECP ordered Vilniaus
Energija to repay 24.3 mln euros to customers in overpaid money after a
review of the company's 2012-2014 costs. Heating prices were reduced in Vilnius
for that reason in December, 2016, and around 6 mln euros were repaid during
that heating season.
VST should return the remaining amount of over 18 mln euros, if the
company manages to recover the money from France's Veolia, which controls Vilniaus
Energija, through court. Veolia
has already filed a 120 million-euro lawsuit to the Washington arbitration
against the Lithuanian government, and the latter later responded with a 130 million-euro
counterclaim.
Nerijus
Mikalajunas, spokesman for Vilniaus
Energija, told the company disagrees with NCECP's position and plans to
defend its interests in court.
NCECP was ordered in January, 2017 to recalculate Vilniaus Energija's 2010-2015 heating and hot water prices by the
Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania after it upheld Vilnius Regional
Administrative Court's ruling of December, 2015.