Director of Croatian natural gas supplier and distributor Gradska Plinara Zagreb (GPZ) Jeronim Tomas announced steep price increases for both residential and commercial consumers.
Tomas said that household gas bills for January will be by 30 % lower compared to those in December. However, increases can be expected after 1 April and the exact amount will mostly depend on the scope of the Government’s support measures.
He said that increases of up to 70 % are possible in reality, but expressed hope that such situation will not last long. He said that the main culprits for high gas prices are the geopolitical situation in Europe and increased demand following the covid lockdowns.
On the other hand, Croatian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Coric blames the management of GPZ for significant increase in the price of gas for commercial consumers because it failed to procure sufficient gas volumes at lower prices on time. Instead, GPZ opted for the termination of previous contracts and signing of new contracts at much higher prices.
