Kazakhstan Sees Faster Growth in Electricity Prices

Annual electricity price growth in Kazakhstan accelerated to 7.8% in July, up from 5.5% in June, Orda.kz reports.

According to DataHub, electricity had previously been among the regulated services helping to restrain overall consumer price growth. That changed in July.

Prices for other utilities also began rising faster. Intercom maintenance costs increased by 6.2% year on year, one percentage point more than in June. Waste collection prices, which fell by 0.8% in June, rose by 0.7% in July. Cold-water tariffs remained unchanged.

Analysts said the faster increase in electricity prices may be linked to the expiration of the utility tariff moratorium on April 1. After the moratorium ended, the antimonopoly authority needed time to review applications from utility providers.

Overall, housing and utility costs rose by 5.7% year on year in July, compared with 5.1% in June. Paid services increased by 9.2%, with service inflation accelerating for the second consecutive month.

Original author: Rustam Muratov

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