Ministry of Economy and Finance Explains Selection of 350 kWh Winter Electricity Baseline

At a press conference, the ministry's representative explained why the threshold was not set at 500 kWh, as had been proposed during discussions. According to Mustafayev, analysis showed that 60% of residents in non-gasified territories consume up to 300 kWh monthly in winter. The second factor was the existing state support procedure, under which the Social Protection Agency compensates low-income families for the tariff difference on an additional 150 kWh above the 200 kWh baseline.

Currently, about 4 million households in the country are not connected to piped gas and use liquefied petroleum gas. In addition, the increased limit is planned to apply to consumers in territories with unstable gas supply, where pressure drops or service is interrupted. According to analysis of supplies from last winter, the number of such subscribers reached 607 thousand on certain days. Lists of such households will be approved by regional khokimiyats based on proposals from Uzenergoinspektsiya, Khududgaztaminot, and Regional Electrical Power Networks.

The draft government resolution on increasing the baseline was published for public discussion following approval by the President. Calculations of potential budget expenditures under a hypothetical increase of the threshold to 500 kWh were not presented at the press conference.