The power distribution company Lesto says that, starting next year, electricity prices will go up by 5.69 centas, or 12.8 percent, on average, mostly due to a rise in the public service obligation charge.
The National Control Commission for Prices and Energy on Wednesday approved the new prices, which will take effect on 1 January.
Households using time-of-day metering and electric cookers are facing the biggest hikes.
The main electricity rate for households is rising to 51.9 centas, 5.9 centas higher than this year. Consumers using electric cookers will pay 50.5 centas, 6.3 centas more.
A Lesto official said that the price hike will add around 8 litas to a household's monthly expenses.
"Based on our calculations, the average monthly increase is about 8 litas per household, when it consumes an average amount of electricity, some 140 kilowatt-hours per month," Ramūnas Kiaulėnas, the director of public supply at Lesto, told reporters after the regulatory authority's meeting.
Diana Korsakaitė, the chairwoman of the commission, attributed the hike in electricity prices to an increase in the public service obligation charge.
"Prices are rising because of a marked increase in the public service obligation budget plan. The public service obligation tariff is increasing mostly because the sizes of electricity production quotas at the plans that are using natural gas are almost unchanged," she told reporters.
