Petition campaign to reduce electricity prices for end consumers gets  underway in Armenia

ArmInfo.  A nationwide petition drive aimed at reducing electricity tariffs for end  consumers has been launched in Armenia. This was announced at a press  conference on December 3 by Gohar Meloyan, a representative of the  "Our Way" movement.

According to her, in May of this year, the owners of Electric  Networks of Armenia CJSC submitted a statement to the Public Services  Regulatory Commission (PSRC), claiming that effective management had  resulted in the accumulation of approximately 3 billion drams, which  could be used to subsidize electricity tariffs for the population by  reducing prices. However, the PSRC abandoned this initiative, citing  that it would revisit the tariff issue by the end of the year, and  that the accumulated 3 billion drams might be needed. Meanwhile,  Meloyan continued, in the following months, not only did this amount  not decrease, but rather more than doubled, reaching over 6 billion  drams. Meloyan recalled that on October 30, Tashir Capital, which  includes ESA, resubmitted an application to the PSRC with the same  petition, but as of December 3, the regulator had not responded.  Consequently, the "Po-Nashi" movement decided to organize a  nationwide signature drive demanding a reduction in electricity  tariffs, which will then be submitted to the PSRC as a petition. As  Meloyan noted, the petition is one of the mechanisms for public  oversight and demands on government agencies.