ATHENS – Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas on Friday announced new measures amounting to 395 million euros for the support of households and businesses during the international energy crisis in January.

The minister expanded on the announcements made earlier by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, giving details of the measures. He explained that the measures would target both electricity and natural gas with funds from the Energy Transition Fund.

“With the extension of the support measures in the first month of 2022 also, we prove that we stand beside every Greek family, every Greek business, so that no one is left unprotected in the face of the unprecedented international energy crisis,” he said, adding that the situation and amount of the subsidies will be reassessed in February.

The minister announced subsidies for household electricity bills, saying that primary residences will be subsidised irrespective of income, size and provider. The measure will concern 4.2 electricity connections and be staggered so as to given incentives to save energy, with the estimated average monthly subsidy for the average household amounting to 42 euros, while the assistance for households eligible for the Social Residential Tariff is estimated at 54 euros.

There will also be subsidies for non-residential electricity consumers (farming, commerce, industrial, workshop and other), with a horizontal subsidy amounting to 50 pct of the increased cost for the entire monthly consumption.

For natural gas, the government subsidy for households will amount to 20 euros per thermal MWh for the entire monthly consumption and will benefit 540,000 consumers irrespective of income, size of residence or provider. An additional discount of 20 euros per thermal MWh will be given by DEPA Commercial, while other providers will be asked to give equivalent support.

The government subsidy will be extended to all commercial consumers and industry for non-residential natural gas consumers, amountin to 30 euros per MWh.