Industry bosses both here and in Spain have launched a campaign to bring down the peninsula’s ‘brutal’ energy prices.
In a letter addressed to prime minister António Costa, CIP – the confederation of Portuguese businesses – has stressed the need for breathing space.
Either the government must act to reduce tariffs altogether, or it must pledge that no further increases will be creeping up through the system.
Since May, costs to the employers have spiked from what was €50/MWH to as much as €70/MWH, writes Correio da Manhã.
The increases are simply not sustainable, CIP warns, stressing the disadvantages industry faces in terms of being competitive with other markets.
Spain’s secretary of state for energy visited Lisbon earlier this summer with a view to finding a common solution to reduce costs in both countries.
Say reports today, Spain has already suspended its ‘extraordinary tax’ on the energy sector – brought in six years ago – precisely to give consumers a break from constant price rises.
Stresses ECO online, CIP’s pressure here comes ahead of the State Budget for 2019 – in the hope that Costa’s executive isn’t planning new unpleasant surprises in the form of increased taxes, either direct or indirect.
