Talk of keeping electricity prices at current levels next year “populist”, says Nečas

Prime Minister Petr Nečas says talk of electricity prices being kept at current levels next year is “unrealistic and populist”, due to a steep rise in the number of subsidised solar power generators. He said measures being prepared by the government could keep hikes down to 5 percent for households, and 7 to 8 percent for firms. The Energy Regulatory Office says that because of the boom in solar power plants households could pay up to 12 percent more for electricity next year, with businesses set to pay up to 17 percent more. Mr Nečas’s comments came a day after the minister of finance, Miroslav Kalousek, said electricity prices could be kept at current levels using incomes raised from the sale of emissions permits. The prime minister’s Civic Democrats and Mr Kalousek’s TOP 09 will be competing for many of the same conservative votes in imminent local and Senate elections.