The "No to Robbery" movement that protests against the growth in the electric power tariffs, will hold a motor rally in Yerevan on May 23. The movement will start the motor rally at 5 pm from the Victory Bridge.
The rally route is as follows: Victory Bridge-Mashtors Avenue- Baghramyan Avenue-Komitas Avenue- David Anhaght Street-Garegin Nzhdeh Square-Malatia administrative district-Halabyan Street-Davtashen administrative district. On May 27, the movement will start a procession from Liberty Square. The route has not been reported yet.
To remind, on May 8, the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of Armenia received an official application from "Electric Networks of Armenia" (ENA) CJSC for raising the electric power tariff, PSRC Spokesperson Mariam Stepanyan has told ArmInfo's correspondent. Earlier, the company disseminated a statement about its intention to file an application to the PSRC. ENA (subsidiary of Inter RAO) suggests increasing the daytime tariff to 58.93 AMD per 1KW/h versus the current 41.85 AMD, and the nighttime tariff - to 48.93 AMD from the current 31.85 AMD. The PSRC may consider ENA CJSC's application for 80 working days. In case the Commission satisfies ENA's request, it will become the third rise in the electricity tariffs for the past 2 years. In July 2013 electric power rose in price from 30 to 41.8 AMD, with the nighttime tariff growing from 20 AMD to 31.8 AMD. The second rise in the tariffs (by 4 AMD) was registered in summer 2014. The authorities of the country (in the person of Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Yervand Zakharyan) are trying to shift the blame for the growth in tariffs to the "poor management of ENA CJSC and misappropriation". To recall, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Iosif Isayan said that ENA CJSC borrowed USD 220 mln against the guarantee of the Armenian Government. Consequently, if the company is unable to repay the loan, these obligations must be assumed by the taxpayers.