Ciprian Ciucu, reply to Daniel Băluță after the scandal at CGMB: “It incites the population not to pay the bills”

The mayor of the capital, Ciprian Ciucu, denounced a “political circus” and “populism” on the part of the PSD, after the CGMB meeting on the project with reduced bills failed due to lack of quorum. According to the general mayor, the draft decision thought by the PSD is “dust in the eye” and unenforceable.

“The political circus is the last thing our city needs! Instead of solutions, the PSD chose to come up with populism bordering on irresponsibility. They also made their T-shirts for the circus, not for real solutions. The decision project they thought of is inapplicable at this moment, everything is just a staged masquerade”, wrote the general mayor of the Capital, in a message posted on Facebook.

The reaction comes after the extraordinary meeting of the General Council of the Capital, where a draft decision was to be voted on that stipulates that Bucharest residents should not pay for hot water and heat that have not reached normal parameters, did not take place due to the lack of quorum.

Daniel Băluță, who was in the room, accused Ciucu of intentionally blocking this project and announced that the social democrats in the Council are going on strike and will no longer come to meetings.

“They perched on a real issue, the bad state of the heating system, and instead of coming up with solutions to balance it, they instigate the population not to pay the bills. Which has the potential to destabilize it even more, which could lead to its collapse and the impossibility of providing hot water and heat as much as the system can carry, in the years to come,” Ciucu denounced.

Ciucu: The project is dust in the eyes

Ciprian Ciucu says that this project “is just disillusioned populism, typical PSD, typical for pedestrians”, and that it does not bring anything new.

“The dust-in-the-eye draft decision does not bring anything new. The supply contracts clearly stipulate: the billing is applied to the measured energy, exactly what is applied today. THE POPULATION DOES NOT PAY for what it does not receive. When there are problems, Termoenergetica is already penalized according to the contract. As in the case of STB, they removed heating from the direct subordination of the City Hall, they also created an intermediary entity here (ADI Termoficare), which penalizes Termoenergetica if it does not supplies heat agent in parameters. Unfortunately, ELCEN is not penalized, and this winter the main problems were at CET Sud, in production, not in supply. ELCEN receives all the money, temoenegetica accumulates losses”, said Ciucu.

The Edil General also explained what “this draft decision – dust-in-the-eye” stipulates.

“The PSD project states that: “if the thermal energy will not be supplied at the contractually agreed temperature, according to the diagram, the population has the right to a reduction in the price, according to the calculation formula established by the regulation”. This already exists! At the basement of the blocks there is a meter that registers the quantity and temperature of the thermal energy delivered. Citizens pay exactly what and how much is delivered/consumed”, explained Ciprian Ciucu.

The Mayor General gave an example:

“If I receive hot water at 30 degrees, I pay for the thermal energy consumed to heat the water from approximately 5 degrees (as it comes from Apa Nova) to 30 degrees. In other words, if the water is hard, it is paid for being hard. The same is the case with the heat from the radiators: if they are hard, you pay for the little provided, not more,” Ciucu said.

The general mayor also explained “why the dust-in-the-eyes project is inapplicable”.

“The delegation contract belongs to ADITBI, not PMB (HCGMB 466/2018). CGMB cannot intervene unilaterally; The contract (with all annexes) is approved by the Competition Council for 10 years – any modification requires re-approval. Otherwise it is null; The modification by HCGMB of some contractual terms (not only price) violates Law 51/2006; In conclusion, this project, promoted by the masquerade at which I witnessed today, it creates a dangerous precedent for all public services and blocks investments and financing”, Ciprian Ciucu also said.

“In conclusion, this project, promoted through the masquerade we witnessed today, creates a dangerous precedent for all public services and blocks investments and financing”, concluded the general mayor of the Capital.

What does the draft proposed by the PSD provide

Daniel Băluţă announced on February 1 that the PSD will introduce a draft decision in the General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest that would provide that, if Termoenergetica and ELCEN do not deliver hot water and heating agent within the parameters, the associations that receive “hard water” will not have to pay for this service.

Thus, according to the project, thermal energy would be supplied to the population at the agreed contractual parameters, according to an updated diagram that will be attached to the contract.

Within 90 days from the entry into force of the CGMB decision, Termoenergetica will be obliged to update the diagram for the supply of thermal energy to the population and owners' associations.

“If the thermal energy will not be supplied at the contractually agreed temperature, according to the diagram, the population has the right to reduce the price according to the calculation formula established by the regulation”, the draft states.

Also, within 90 days, Termoenergetica will have the obligation to propose and establish a calculation formula for the application of price reductions.

Also within 90 days, Termoenergetica will have the obligation to initiate the negotiation procedure with ELCEN regarding the operating conditions of the heating network and establishing the new system operation diagram, “compatible with the current situation of the heating network”.