Algeria's Electricity Consumption Rises to 14%, Investment did not exceed 5%, Economic Expert says

An expert of economy Beda Mahdjoub, revealed in an interview with “Echorouk” the reasons of the crisis of electricity power’s outages, warning of the Indian crisis scenario, and asserting that the electricity which is stolen by Algerians is estimated at 10% of the total production, and $ 40 billion dinars of Sonelgaz debts are bills that are not paid by the large companies.

Echorouk:Could you please tell us why there are no electricity outages in developed countries which rely on this energy, such as Dubai where degrees of heat reach up to 50°.

*In fact the Algerian citizens pais the price of consumption of the large companies which is in reality the first consumer, and they pay the same price which is paid by large companies. Does it make sense that the electricity pricing of the citizen is the same pricing of large companies and factories which consume huge power of electricity, as the percentage of what the citizens consume is estimated ‭to 30%, ‭while what the companies consume is estimated 70%, however; at the final stage the bill is fixed at the same pricing. ‬

Echorouk: Do large companies pay their electricity consumption which is 70%‭, to Sonelgaz company?

*The figures show a shocking reality, as the company Sonelgaz still has debts, despite the decisions of 2010, which allowed clearing the overdraft bank. The public company Sonelgaz borrows at high levels, as the outstanding debts reach 40 billion dinars, most of them belong to public institutions, at a time the deficit reaches 11 billion dinars‭. ‬

Echorouk:‬ How much electricity do Algerians consume? Do you think that raising the electricity pricing is the best solution?

*The increase in electricity pricing has not undergone any modification since 15 years, eventhough life developed and technology evolved as in every home there is an air conditioner, in the capital Algiers only there is a “Metro” which uses electricity power and the “tramway” too, however; the pricing did not change. I think it is time to review the electricity pricing, and I do not rule out this action in the short term, but this does not mean at all that the citizen pays the same pricing paid by large companies, public factories and workshops. We must fix a special pricing for the citizen and another one for the private companies.