By the end of this week—which began with electricity supply reductions—initial applications will be submitted as part of the annual electricity tariff review process.
Accordingly, by early next week at the latest, applications from each stakeholder regarding the maximum allowed revenues are expected to be published, including that of KESCO, which will indicate whether another increase in electricity prices will be proposed or not.
According to Kushtrim Ahmeti from the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the difficult situation—especially as the tariff review process begins—is not coincidental.
Referring to the justifications given by companies and the shifting of blame among them, Ahmeti suspects that the crisis is being used “to make a new increase possible.”
“When you look at what is happening, especially since December, these periods when we never know when there will be power cuts, how long they will last, or when there won’t be any, you can see that an extremely dirty and hidden game is being played to exploit this period of institutional stagnation and the total paralysis of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO), and to take advantage of this momentum to push it through now,” said Kushtrim Ahmeti, Director at the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He has no doubts about the demands the licensed companies will submit.
“I am fully convinced that all companies will request an increase in prices and in their revenues, which will ultimately fall on us as consumers. And this burden doesn’t come only from the energy sector—you can see that the prices of all services have increased. An increase in one element triggers the chain reaction we talked about even when prices were raised by 16.1%,” Ahmeti added.
KESCO—the company designated by the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) as the Universal Service Supplier—has not yet submitted its document detailing costs and proposals.
Other actors are also waiting until the final days of the deadline to submit their applications, including KEDS, KOSTT, and KEK.
“As part of the annual tariff review process, specifically the annual adjustment of the maximum allowed revenues for 2026, the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) has set January 23, 2026, as the deadline for submitting initial applications/proposals by licensed operators. At this stage of the process, none of the licensed operators has submitted an application or proposal to the ERO. This is in line with the usual dynamics of the process, as the legal deadline has not yet expired,” ERO stated.
Before the end of March, ERO will review the proposals and decide whether to proceed with the same or new electricity tariffs, which would enter into force on April 1.
Over the past four years, electricity tariffs have been increased three times during ERO reviews, most recently in mid-April last year, triggering widespread reactions from citizens and businesses across the country.
