RIGA, Jan 5 (LETA) - Heating tariff in Daugavpils will increase by less than the anticipated 169.5 percent, the Public Utilities Commission's Chairwoman Alda Ozola said in an interview with TV3.

At the moment, Daugavpils Siltumtiki heating company's tariff is less than EUR 60 per megawatt-hour (MWh) and, after the tariff is revised, it could amount to EUR 90 to EUR 95 per MWh, not more than EUR 150 per MWh as the media reported earlier, said Ozola.

According to LETA's estimates, the heating tariff in Daugavpils will therefore increase by approximately 58 percent to 67 percent.

"The situation in Daugavpils is rather specific. Together with Daugavpils City Council and the Economics Ministry's representatives, at a meeting of the State Energy Crisis Center's meeting we discussed possible solutions, and it seems now that the tariff will not increase that much. The increase will be much smaller, but it will still be rather high for the residents," said Ozola.

At the moment, a boiler fueled by woodchips is working in Daugavpils to reduce the cost of heating, as the rising natural gas prices is the main reason why the heating tariff in Daugavpils will increase, explained Ozola.

As reported, the new tariff initially proposed by Daugavpils Siltumtikli is EUR 153.62 per MWh, or 169.5 percent higher than now.

LETA also reported, Daugavpils City Council at an extraordinary meeting on December 27 declared a local energy crisis.