MEPSO Wants a 98 Percent Pricier Electricity Transmission Tariff for 2027 - More Money for Less Energy Transmitted

State-owned company MEPSO has asked the Energy Regulatory Commission (RKE) to raise the electricity transmission tariff from January 1, 2027 by 97.68 percent - from the current 0.3018 to 0.5966 denars per kilowatt-hour. The request was filed on October 16, and the documents have been published on the regulator's website.

The logic of the request is best seen in two numbers. For 2027, MEPSO wants regulated revenue of around 3.39 billion denars, against 1.88 billion approved for this year - almost 80 percent more. At the same time, it plans to transmit less electricity: 5.68 billion kilowatt-hours, against 6.24 billion this year. More money for less work. That exact combination is what pushes the tariff toward almost double.

That doesn't mean the electricity bill will double. Transmission is just one item, alongside generation, distribution and the supplier's margin. According to calculations published after the request, if the entire increase lands on households, that's about 0.35 denars more per kilowatt-hour including VAT - around 139 denars a month for consumption of 400 kilowatt-hours, or a rise of 4 to 5 percent from this item alone. Illustrative, not official. And only if every other item stays unchanged.

MEPSO isn't alone. AD ESM is asking for a 52.7 percent increase in its average tariff. And in Skopje, all four companies in the heating sector - ESM Production, ESM Supply, ESM Distribution and "Energy Ecolong" - are seeking an adjustment of the district heating price. According to ESM, gas in October is about 60 percent more expensive than the price on which the last heating decision was based.

A request is a request, not a decision. The RKE now has to determine which of MEPSO's costs are justified - investment in the grid, maintenance, losses, balancing - and citizens and companies can submit comments until October 29. That's the window in which the regulator shows whether it is a regulator or a postman. When a state company asks for an almost doubled tariff for a smaller volume of service, the question isn't just how much it will cost - but why so much, and why right now?