Problems are deepening: Electricity and natural gas cutoffs continue

Responding to a parliamentary question on the subject from CHP Niğde Deputy Ömer Fethi Gürer, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar pointed out that two-thirds of electricity subscribers whose power was cut due to debt have their electricity reconnected within the same day, and four-fifths within a week. Bayraktar stated the following: "While it is assessed that the cutoffs experienced due to non-payment of debt generally occur for reasons such as forgetting to pay the bill or problems originating from the bank, in the electricity group this

Answering the question "Is natural gas usage decreasing in Anatolia?", Bayraktar stated that there was a 7.30 percent decrease in natural gas consumption in the first 9 months of 2023 compared to the same period last year.

Evaluating the responses, Gürer stated that the fact that nearly 70 thousand electricity subscribers experienced cutoffs due to their debts is related to the high cost of living in Turkey.

Gürer said, "It is also seen that the increase in natural gas prices reduces natural gas usage. In a day and age where electricity consumption support is provided to those in need and more than 4 million households receive social assistance, the existence of those whose electricity and natural gas are cut off is also an indicator that problems are deepening. Even though the Minister attributes the decrease in natural gas usage to air temperatures and unpaid bills to forgetfulness, the impact of shrinking income and increasing financial hardship on this process cannot be ignored."