Vitaly Korolev: FAS is creating benchmark parameters to prevent an unreasonable growth of tariffs

The difference in utility tariffs reaches 50 times across the subjects of the Russian Federation

“The Antimonopoly Service and other federal authorities are actively tackling the issue”, stated Deputy Head of FAS Vitaly Korolev at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. “The issue is as follows: social-and-economic forecasting specifies the 3% tariff growth for electric power transmission. Setting tariffs, however, regional tariff bodies consider investment programmes of grid companies and as a result exceed the level put by the federal regulator, which leads to a significant tariff increase”.

FAS has dratted a Federal Law that eliminates this gap in legal regulation”, reported Vitaly Korolev.

Deputy Head of FAS also pointed out that in June 2017 the Government of the Russian Federation passed a Decree to implement the new rules for setting sales mark-ups of the electric power providers of last report, using the comparative method.

“The main objective of the benchmark costs method is to stimulate power supply companies to increase efficiency”, said Vitaly Korolev. “Jointly with the federal authorities, FAS is working on the idea of implementing this mechanism to other sectors”.