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New fees for water use?

PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea 02.03.2015 15:15
The government is mulling a new fee for the industrial use of water, while industries say this is counterintuitive.

Poland’s Environment Ministry wants to introduce a fee for the use of water. However, large corporations, like utilities – which use water to cool their plants – have complained that they will be forced to foot billions of złoty in added costs, writes Puls Biznesu.

One vocal opponent of the new fees is Deputy Treasury Minister Zdzisław Gawlik, who is responsible for energy, and has been open about his displeasure.

According to his calculations, energy companies such as hydroelectric power plants with an open circuit, will be forced to pass the billions of złoty in additional costs to users.

In effect, the average Polish family will not only be paying more for using water services, but also for electricity.

Although it is unlikely to ever happen, Puls Biznesu adds that the fees will become even more of a burden, if Poland creates a nuclear power plant which needs a very large amount of water to operate.

The newspaper notes that utilities have so far been exempt from the charge of, for example, the use of water from rivers for cooling.

The main aim of the ministry, is to force large companies to invest in efficient ways of using water, as well as to bring the country in line with EU regulations where “all users of water have to pay for it.” (rg)

Source: Puls Biznesu, PAP

tags: energy, utilities
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