The manager of the Public Companies of Medellín, John Maya Salazarsent a letter to President Gustavo Petro concerned about the situation of Afiniaits subsidiary in five departments of the Caribbean coast, including Cesar.
In the letter, the manager proposes to “open spaces for dialogue that allow the analysis and joint construction of solutions in order to contribute to the energy sustainability of the country.” “The investments executed since our arrival so far totals COP 2.06 billionwhich exceeds the investments made by the previous operators (including the intervention period),” said the official.
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The manager maintained that the biggest challenges have been to foster relationships that strengthen trust in the institutions and that also promote “the culture of payment, which has been one of the most complex difficulties in the history of service provision on the Caribbean coast”.
For this reason, the statement says, despite the effort that as a business group they have made to maintain adequate levels of liquidity, they are facing the consequences of an El Niño phenomenon that generated a significant increase in consumption of energy and higher energy costs in the stock market, an accumulated balance of rate options that amounts to $1.6 billion and a delay in the disbursement of Findeter’s credit, which put the required stability and solidity of the company at risk.
“The EPM Group calls for solutions so that seven million people continue to have good living conditions thanks to electric energy. In accordance with the above, we respectfully request that, as soon as possible, Open a space for us in your agenda to present our proposal for a solution to the situation raised.“, concluded the letter.
GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL
Last week, the President Gustavo Petro announced from Barranquilla that the national government would assume the tariff option, which consists of a debt of $7 billion paid by users.
“This energy debt has to be securitized, that is, become the public debt of the Nation. In other words, the tariff option that families had to pay to the electricity marketers now has to be a public debt of the Nation. You can’t refinance, that’s like paying for food with a credit card. We have to come clean about that debt, that is, put in black and white the lies that Duque told us and assume that debt,” Petro stated.
AND THE LOSSES?
From different sectors they have asked the national government to assume the technical and non-technical losses, which also increase the cost of the kilowatt/hour.
A stratum 2 family with a consumption of 200 kilowatts pays an energy rate of $219,000 with the price per kWh at $1,095. Of that value, 18.12% is for recognized losses, that means around $40,000. If the Government assumes the losses, a stratum 2 home with consumption of 200 kilowatts would go from paying $219 thousand to $179 thousand monthly.