Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.8
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: The Iranian administration is considering raising water and electricity bills, ISNA quoted energy minister Hamid Chitchian as saying on Jan. 8.
In a meeting with governor generals, Chitchian said that the shortage of water resources and management of water resources were the main topics of discussion.
The subsidy reform plan has stipulated raising water and electricity stage by stage, but the law has not been implemented properly. So, we decided to raise water and electricity bills considering that related costs have been increased, he explained.
On Nov. 11, the Mehr News Agency quoted Iranian deputy energy minister Alireza Daemi as saying that water and electricity bills in Iran will be increased in the next solar year, which will begin on March 21, 2014.
The energy ministry has proposed scenarios to the administration for increasing water and electricity bills in the next year, he said.
According to the current year's budget law, the administration is allowed to increase water and electricity bills by maximum 38 per cent, he explained.
In September, Chitchian said that Iran's Energy Ministry has increased electricity bills of subscribers from 430 rials (about 0.02 cents) per kilowatt hours to 433 rials.
The ministry has added the sum to electricity bills in order to secure a fund for implementing power supply projects in villages and expand the use of renewable energy, the minister added.