„My understanding is that most of the residents of the north understand and accept that they should be paying for the electricity they consume,“ the US Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier said today in South Mitrovica, commenting on the recently concluded commercial contract between KEDS and Elektrosever.
This contract was concluded on Saturday and represents one of the steps towards the implementation of the roadmap agreed last year, that is, the energy agreements reached within the dialogue in 2013 and 2015.
Hovenier recalled this today, saying that the goal of the Roadmap is the full implementation of the obligations from the agreement, in order to start charging for electricity.
„It is the right thing and my understanding is that most of the residents of the North understand and accept that they should be paying for the electricity they consume,” Hovenier said.
Recalling that this Roadmap has clear timelines, Hovenier states that he is disappointed that they were not met on time. Nevertheless, he says that he is „delighted“ because this „really important step“ has now been completed – the conclusion of the commercial contract between KEDS and Elektrosever.
„I think it is going to be up to KEDS and Elektrosever to communicate to consumers of electricity exactly how it will be implemented, in what timeline and under what circumstances. And this is complicated. There is still a lot of technical work that has to be done, including the installation of meters that will allow the energy companies to know the exact amount of electricity being consumed,“ the ambassador added.
While he can’t speak about timelines, Hovenier says he can talk about his country’s “commitment to seeing this process go forward.“
„Our belief that it is very appropriate that consumers of electricity actually pay for the use of that electricity. Also, our expectation and understanding that this will be a fairly significant change and it needs to be rolled out in a way that is clearly understood by all and in a way that reflects some patience in solving what is a complicated technical issue,“ concluded the US ambassador in Pristina.
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