The fact that Fernwärme Wien wants to raise its rates by 92 percent continues to cause a stir – even after Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) promised special support to customers. The FPÖ considers the support it has announced a “huge bluff”. Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) also criticized the move. The fight against inflation cannot be the task of the federal government alone: ”All political decision-makers are needed here, including the city council of Vienna.”
“The state, state-related companies and of course a city and its companies should not benefit from the crisis. In the federal government, we have already taken measures of four billion euros in energy costs to absorb the effects and we have, for example, set the energy and natural gas tax to the permissible minimum, stopped the green energy subsidy and forfeited or created the energy voucher .
The network should also be positively emphasized, explains Brunner. As a result, invoices for customers have been suspended for two or four months. Excess profits would be returned to the state through a special dividend.
Slight inflation in other states
“This will enable us to finance urgently needed aid. This shows that with good will there are opportunities for companies to unburden people in the current situation, especially when companies are fully owned by a local government, such as Wien Energie.” The minister also pointed out that in other states the District heating prices would not rise as much as in the federal capital, but only in the low double-digit percentage – for example in Tyrol.
Mayor Ludwig referred on Thursday to the energy support package presented some time ago, which aims to ease the burden on lower incomes. In addition, there will also be further support steps to absorb the “imminent extra burden”. “We will take measures to significantly absorb the price increases for customers,” Ludwig promised. According to information from the APA, details will be presented early next week.
Video: Wien Energie raises prices
FPÖ: “Riesenbluff!”
The Viennese FPÖ expects little from this. “The support that Mayor Ludwig has announced against doubling district heating prices is a huge bluff,” party leader Dominik Nepp said with conviction on Friday. On the one hand, the mayor would take 540 euros out of the pocket of an average household for heating and hot water, on the other hand, only a fraction of this price increase would be returned to a few.” He calls on Ludwig to stop the price increase.
Source: Krone
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