The cost of industrial electricity in Greece is nearly 80 percent higher than prices paid in central and northern European countries, a PWC consulting firm study conducted on behalf of Belgium’s regulatory authority for energy has shown.

The Belgian energy authority commissioned PWC to conduct a detailed study for price comparisons of industrial electricity costs in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Hidden subsidies and discounts virtually wiping out surcharge costs are contributing significantly to this energy cost gap between Greece and the aforementioned fellow EU member states, the study indicated. It also analyzes network and environmental costs as well as other surcharges and taxes paid by industrial consumers.

The study includes electricity costs for various industrial consumption  levels. The total electricity cost for consumption of over 200,000 MWh is 37 euros per MWh in Germany, 42.2 euros MWh in France, 39.4 euros MWh in the Netherlands and 49.7 euros per MWh in Belgium, the PWC study showed.

In Greece, the equivalent cost – including an 8 percent quantitative discount and 7 percent punctuality discount – reaches as much as 79.4 percent higher and totals 66.41 euros per MWh.