Eurostat: Gas prices in Bulgaria rose 108% in first half of 2022 y/y
Natural gas prices for households in Bulgaria increased by 108 per cent in the first half of 2022 compared with the first half of 2021, the third-highest increase in the 24 European Union countries for which data were available, European Union statistics agency Eurostat said on October 31.
In the first half of 2022, average household electricity prices in the EU increased sharply compared with the same period in 2021, from 22 euro per 100 kWh to reach 25.3 euro per 100 kWh, Eurostat said.
Average gas prices also increased compared with the same period in 2021, from 6.4 euro per 100 kWh to 8.6 euro per 100 kWh in the first half of 2022.
More recently, wholesale prices for electricity and gas have increased substantially across the EU, Eurostat said.
“Energy and supply costs impacted by the current geopolitical situation, the Russian military aggression in Ukraine, mainly drove the increase,” the statistics agency said.
Compared with a year ago, the weight of taxes and levies in the final electricity and gas bills charged to households in the EU in the first half of 2022 decreased significantly as EU member states put in place governmental allowances and subsidies to mitigate high energy costs.
Compared with the first half of 2021, the share of taxes in the electricity bill dropped sharply from 39 per cent to 24 per cent (-15.5 per cent) and in the gas bill from 36 per cent to 27 per cent (-8.6 per cent).
Between the first half of 2021 and the first half of 2022, gas prices increased in 23 of the 24 EU countries for which data are available, Eurostat said.
Gas prices surged the most in Estonia (154 per cent), Lithuania (110 per cent) and Bulgaria (108 per cent), mainly driven by the cost of energy, Eurostat said.
There was only one EU country where natural gas prices for household consumers marginally fell in the same period: Hungary (-0.5 per cent), where prices are regulated, the statistics agency said.
Expressed in euro, average household gas prices in the first half of 2022 were lowest in Hungary (2.9 euro per 100 kWh), Croatia (4.1 euro) and Latvia (4.6 euro) and highest in Sweden (22.2 euro), Denmark (16 euro) and the Netherlands (12.9 euro).
Household electricity prices rose in 22 EU countries in the first half of 2022, compared with the first half of 2021. The largest increase (expressed in national currencies) was registered in Czech Republic (62 per cent), ahead of Latvia (59 per cent) and Denmark (57 per cent).
In Bulgaria, the increase in household electricity prices in the first half of 2022 compared with the first half of 2021 was 6.79 per cent, Eurostat said.
Data indicates five decreases in household electricity prices among EU member states: the Netherlands (-54 per cent), Slovenia (-16 per cent), Poland (-three per cent), Portugal and Hungary (both -one per cent).
The drops in the Netherlands, Slovenia and Poland were connected to government subsidies and allowances, while in Hungary, prices are regulated, Eurostat said.
Expressed in euro, average household electricity prices in the first half of 2022 were lowest in the Netherlands (5.9 euro per 100 kWh), Hungary (9.5 euro) and Bulgaria (10.9 euro) and highest in Denmark (45.6 euro), Belgium (33.8 euro), Germany (32.8 euro) and Italy (31.2 euro), the statistics agency said.
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