The Minister of the Environment, Duarte Cordeiro, indicated this Thursday that, next year, Portuguese consumers will pay less for energy than in 2022. But he asks consumers to stop “inertia” and compare the prices of energy providers so they can have “significant savings”.

In a press conference dedicated to energy prices for 2023, Duarte Cordeiro said that if 2022 was a year marked by “very significant” increases in energy, above inflation, which ended up pushing inflation up, what What the Government expects in 2023 “is that energy prices remain below inflation”, pulling the indicator downward. In general, “energy prices will weigh less on the Portuguese’s portfolio, they will be below inflation and will push inflation down,” he predicts.

“All our estimates are based on assumptions that allow the perspective that in 2023 we will have a better situation than the current one. It is enough that the trend of December at the beginning of the year continues, ”he added. This reduction can be 55% in electricity for homes and between 24% and 38% for companies.

The regulated tariff will rise by 1.6%, that is, below the inflation forecast by the Government and there will also be updates in the liberalized market. Duarte Cordeiro says that in the case of the gas market, the regulated rate is currently “substantially” below the rate of the liberalized market, around 65% for consumers and 70% for small companies. “The regulated tariff is clearly an option that allows significant savings for families and companies,” he underlines.

In the electricity market, however, this does not happen and it is possible to find suppliers in the liberalized market with prices lower than the regulated one. The minister asks consumers and companies to put “custom or inertia” aside and compare offers on the available simulators, which can guarantee them “significant savings.”

Asked how he can guarantee that prices in 2023 are lower, the minister explained that the central element that allows prices to vary is the production of renewable energy: hydroelectric production is increasing, as well as solar and wind. “What is the trend of the price of renewable energy production in total electricity tends to increase,” he said.

Regarding the Iberian electricity mechanism, Duarte Cordeiro reiterates that there is a will from both Portugal and Spain to extend it beyond May, but says that there will still be negotiations between the two governments to agree on positions in order to present a joint proposal to Brussels. In 2022, the mechanism generated benefits for consumers of around “17%, 18% in net terms”.

The end of the suspension of the carbon tax update will be gradual

The Government will gradually put an end to the suspension of the update of the carbon tax. Asked if the Government would adopt a measure identical to the Spanish one, to end the support of 20 cents per liter for fuels, Duarte Cordeiro replied that the Portuguese Executive is not going down that path and in the case of carbon, its implementation will be gradual . “We are working towards a gradual solution to progressively reduce the exemption from paying the carbon tax. It will not be on the same terms. [de Espanha]”, said.

The suspension of the update of the carbon tax was one of the current measures to contain fuel prices, valid until the end of the year. The solution for the progressive end of the tax exemption is being worked on with the Ministry of Finance.