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Sep 06 2022

Regulated traction electricity prices for Combined Transport

Combined Transport urgently demands regulated traction electricity prices as it unavoidably depends on electric rail freight.

 

The DG Energy non-paper on Emergency Electricity Market Interventions, which leaked on 1 September (1), recommends to Member States to “regulate the price of electricity for volatile consumer groups”.  Combined Transport actors clearly qualify as a volatile group of electricity users:

- Road-Rail Combined Transport must unavoidably use electric rail freight;

- Traction electricity prices have increased 300-1000% depending on the Member State throughout the European Union, whereas the International Road Union has recently confirmed that the pre-tax price of diesel fuel – used in long-distance trucks – only increased by 69% since January this year (2);

-  Most Combined Transport Operators and Transhipment Terminal Managers, as well as many rail freight traction providers are SMEs, moreover, their profitability levels do not enable them to erect a fiscal shield to defend such an explosive change to a strategic input as energy. Read more

 

Source: UIRR