Bakeries that have integrated other services such as pastry shops or coffee bars will be differentiated in the rates they pay for energy.

During a round table for representatives of the Association of Bread, Pastries, and Dough, the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku and the administrator of Power Distribution Operator OSHEE Group Enea Karakaçi announced the proposal that will be sent to the Energy Regulatory Authority and that places these subjects in a report of right of payment. Balluku said that there are at least 2,600 bakeries in the country and this has made the approach to this matter careful to treat each one of them according to the conditions they are in.

Currently, bakeries pay a fee of 7.6 Lek/kwh according to a price set by the OSHEE years ago, but this does not take into account the changes or evolution that this market has undergone in recent years.

"The typology of the business has changed. Besides bread, they have expanded and have a wider service up to the coffee bar. Over the years, there have been several attempts, but no agreement has been found on the proposed alternatives, such as the separation with two meters or with two tax registration numbers or specific premises," he said.

After consultations, it appears that the parties have agreed on three different prices which the OSHEE administrator said will be sent to the Energy Regulator Authority (ERE).

"We have made a type of typology and today we come with a proposal that has three prices: 7.6 Lek/kWh which is for bakery-only entities. Price 9.5 lek is for bakeries with more integrated activities such as pastry or other dough products and 12 lek/kWh is for premises that also have a coffee bar. All elements are agreed with the association. We are in a situation where we will bring to ERE the agreement on the three prices and we think this will provide a permanent solution for the bakeries," underlined Karakaçi.

Deputy Prime Minister Balluku said that the process will be carefully followed step by step to clarify the problems that may be encountered and to facilitate this transition of businesses.

"With this categorization, we solve the problem, but we will leave a communication channel to see in time if this is the right solution. We are for the protection of the sector and the consumer", declared Balluku.