The state budget’s capacity for electricity and gas subsidies is set to tighten as the government is determined to limit their total cost for 2022 to 1.8 billion euros, after having already spent 1.3 billion euros this year.

Government support measures worth 1.1 billion euros for October include no more than 100 million euros in budget money, slashed from 600 million euros in September.

The government plans to limit its budget allocations for electricity and gas subsidies to a total of 500 million euros from now until the end of the year, or between 160 and 170 million euros per month. The same level of budget spending on energy subsidies is expected in 2023.

A draft budget for 2023, to be submitted to parliament in the first week of October, includes an extraordinary amount to help get the country through the year’s difficult first few months of winter and early-autumn weather.

According to sources, this extraordinary amount will total between 400 and 500 million euros, or 80 to 90 million euros per month, clearly not enough if Russia’s war in Ukraine and the energy exchange turbulence continue.

All will depend on how international gas prices develop. Gas futures for 2023 were at 169 euros last week, 200 euros a few days ago, and 188 euros yesterday. Prices have been fluctuating between 20 and 40 euros per day.