A drop in the electricity bill does not displease anyone. And the Renzi government is working on this with the latest omnibus decree approved on Friday in the Council of Ministers. But according to Assorinnovabili, the kilowatt hour could already cost 15-20 percent less than the price paid by families and businesses. All thanks to energy from renewable sources? Also. The drop in wholesale prices, which fell from 70 to 45 euros per megawatt hour in the last year and a half, was certainly also affected by the sharp drop in electricity consumption due to the general economic crisis. But the association of green energy producers claims the role played above all by wind and photovoltaic energy which, enjoying priority access to the network, displace large gas-fired thermoelectric plants on the market.
Conclusion: if current prices stabilize and if the reduction is transferred entirely to retail, Assorinnovabili calculates an overall saving of between 7 and 8 billion euros. Until now, however, final consumers have not noticed the collapse (-43%) in wholesale prices.
And this slows down the process of retail transfer of the benefits recorded during the year on the Power Exchange. Benefits that should in any case be discharged to consumption, barring colossal speculation, between the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015, knowing however that the lower industrial cost of electricity affects only half of the bill. In fact, the rest is made up of taxes and parafiscal charges.
Arm wrestling on the cuts. If Assorinnovabili's calculations are correct, it goes well beyond the billion and a half that the Minister of Development Federica Guidi is trying with difficulty to put together to reduce the cost of bills for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by 10%. On the drafting of the decree, still awaiting publication, a tough tug of war is underway on the merits of the measures to be adopted.
“We learn that the government intends to introduce the rule known as the incentive spreader, making it mandatory. This provision would be unconstitutional because it is retroactive” affirms the association which availed itself of the opinion of the constitutionalist Valerio Onida and threatens an avalanche of appeals. "In fact - he continues - in this way the resources destined for already functioning solar plants are cut, causing the dismissal of at least 10.000 workers of those SMEs that they say they want to help". In short, a space is being sought in view of the final draft of the text that the President of the Republic will have to sign shortly.
