Kazakhstan has been ranked sixth in Europe in terms of availability of electricity with $0.038 per kilowatt-hour. An average monthly salary in Kazakhstan is enough to buy about 16,900 kilowatts-hours, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
Iceland, the Netherlands and Liechtenstein are the leaders in the rating, according to the survey.
Iceland is the top-ranked country in Europe in terms of the availability of electricity for the people. Its residents can buy more than 30,000 kilowatt-hours on average thanks to the relatively low cost of electricity on the island and one of the highest incomes in Europe, experts said.
In the Netherlands, people can purchase 25,700 kilowatts-hours on average. This is the second-highest result in Europe, according to the survey.
In Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Norway, the purchasing power of an average monthly salary is equal to more than 17,000 kilowatt-hours.
Russia is ranked seventh with 13,500 kilowatt-hours a month followed by Finland with the rate at 12,800 kilowatt-hours a month.
In Romania, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania citizens are able to buy about 5,000 kilowatt-hours a month. In Moldova, this rate is just about 2,100 kilowatt-hours, which is the lowest result in the survey.
In Kazakhstan, the cost of electricity is the lowest, at $0.038 per kilowatt-hour. The rate in Russia and Belarus is $0.051 and $0.076, respectively, followed by Eastern European and Balkan countries where the cost of electricity is relatively cheap.
Denmark reported the highest cost of electricity – $0.63 per kilowatt-hour. In Belgium, Ireland, the Czech Republic and the U.K., the cost of electricity is about $0.40.
The survey also shows that almost all European countries except the Netherlands and Liechtenstein reported an increase in electricity prices.
Kazakhstan is also preparing to increase prices in the spheres of water and electricity supply. Minister of National Economy Alibek Kuantyrov said that a price surge is expected within the range of 10% to 30%. According to authorities, the price increase is necessary to raise salaries for those who work in the utilities sector and prevent them from quitting the industry. In addition, as about 80% of water pipelines and heating systems in Kazakhstan are worn out, the country needs more financial resources to physically modernize all this infrastructure.
According to Petr Svoik from the Transparent Tariff association, the tariff for electricity must be increased very sharply from $0.025 to $0.22 per kilowatt-hour if the Almaty thermal power plant #2 is equipped with gas turbines.
