Some 70,000 electricity users in Turkey have their power cut in first six months

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar revealed that natural gas services for 123,000 users and electricity services for 70,000 users were cut off in the first six months of 2023 due to outstanding debts.

Monday December 04 2023 05:23 pm

Duvar English

About 123,000 consumer lost their natural gas and 70,000 consumer lost their electricity in the first six months of 2023 due to their debts, according to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Ömer Fethi Gürer has posed a question to Minister Bayraktar with the request to disclose the numerical data on subscribers whose natural gas and electricity were cut off due to their debts, according to the online news outlet T24.

The minister noted that two-thirds of electricity consumers who experienced disconnection had their electricity restored on the same day, and four-fifths within a week.

Bayraktar argued that the majority of disconnections due to debts occurred because customers either forgot to pay their bills or neglected to pay bills for seasonal households.

Deputy Gürer also inquired whether the usage of natural gas has decreased in Anatolian provinces, noting his observation that people resort to using coal despite having natural gas in their homes due to affordability issues.

Bayraktar said that there was a 7.30 percent decrease in natural gas consumption in the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period last year. "The decrease in question is largely due to the decrease in gas used in industry and residences. The reason for the decrease in residences is due to the temperatures that are above the seasonal averages,” he added.

On the other hand, MP Gürer underscored, “While there are electricity bill support programs and four million households receiving social assistance, the existence of utility cut-offs is an indication that the problems have deepened.”

He noted that although the minister attributes the decrease in natural gas consumption to the temperatures and unpaid bills to forgetfulness, the effect of the cost of living crisis on these cannot be ignored.