The Slovakian government has announced that it has introduced further measures to enable the government to nationalise energy produced by companies and declare a state of emergency in case of shortages, unaffordable increases, or threatened security
Credit: NAFTA official website
The Slovakian government has announced that it has introduced further measures to enable the government to nationalise energy produced by companies and declare a state of emergency in case of shortages, unaffordable increases, or threatened security.
The laws have been approved by the government and will need a green light from the National Council The Slovakian Parliament is expected to pass the deal in a fast-tracked procedure.
If the laws are passed, the government will also be able to nationalise the electricity and gas of energy companies in the general economic interest of the country. The legitimate costs they incur should be reimbursed to the supplier by the state.
Economy Minister Karel Hirman noted that amended laws create a space for measures of “last resort.” “It doesn’t mean that the measure will apply immediately, but that they may be inevitable in the case of extreme situation, which may occur,” he said.
The minister added that the partial mobilisation, declared in Russia, complicates the situation. Prices of energy commodities rose significantly after the speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same.
Hirman stressed that Slovakia has sufficient electricity production, nearly full underground gas storage facilities and guaranteed contracts for gas supplies for the next heating season.
