Thousands of Greek households will spend Christmas holidays in the darkness. Greece’s Public Power Corporation (PPC/DEH) plans to proceed to power cuts to 35,000 private and commercial subscribers by the end of the year due to unpaid electricity bills. The plan foresees 2,000 power cuts per day until the end of 2017.
- 70 percent of the 35,000 subscribers who will see their Christmas lights fade away are households. That is 24,500 households.
This comes from a respond letter of the President and CEO of Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (DEDHE), Nikos Chatziargyriou to a relevent questioned posed by Popular Unity MEP Nikos Chountis.
Chountis had posed the question after a tragic incident in Kalamata when three little children were at risk to be burned alive as the household was using candles in the night due to outstanding debts to the PPC and inability to pay the debt.
Three children aged 13, 9 and 8, narrowly excaped a tragic death when a fire broke out from a candle in their room on a Sunday mignight. The candle was the only light in the home in Kalamata, sotuh Peloponnese. The incident happened on November 1st. The family has been living without electricity since August.
In the first ten months of 2017, the PPC had cut the power to 240,000 subscribers. 159,000 of them reconnected the power after making a debt payment settlement with the PPC or paid their outstanding debts.
What happened to the rest 81,000? Some maybe be businesses that had closed down or summer houses, some may have sought to subscribe to the private power suppliers, and some may have to spend their nights in the dark.
35,000 power cuts mean 2,000 households and business will have to go without electricity per day.
The PPC, DEDHE or whoever took this decision will go down to history as the Greek Grinch who stole Christmas.
“In the first ten months of 2017, the PPC had cut the power to 240,000 subscribers. 159,000 of them reconnected the power after making a debt payment settlement with the PPC or paid their outstanding debts.”…. so ….. not paying and when a dratic measure comes in place it is suddenly possible to pay or at least make an agreement for paying?
It’s not the PPC who is the Grinch but the attitude of not wanting/willing to pay debts.
some are dodgers too. but you cannot generalize.
I did it the proper way, I left DEI without paying my bill and joined a new customer where I pay my bill on time with 15% cheaper rates. DEI made so much money from me by charging me expensive prices, I do not feel bad about it at all.
@keeptalkinggreece; I don’t want to generalize but that’s what happening here. Offcourse the costs are way to high when you compare average income here with the costs of electricity. But generalizing the PPC as the grinch ….
I know a lot of people who will say they did it “the proper way”. I always learned : if you have debt you pay them or stay out of debt.Don’t use or buy anything you can’t afford. (yes prices are to high but debts of 10K+ are ridiculous … thats no using to survive anymore)
electricity is a basic and essential good you cannot live without unless you live in a cave. In GR power bills contain extra charges that have nothing to do with power consumption and thus at 50%.