Belgian electricity operator Elia tried — but ultimately failed — to charge Belgian energy consumers €150,000 for a four-day trip to attend the World Expo in Dubai last year, Le Soir has reported.
The report notes that four company employees, including Elia CEO Chris Peeters, collectively spent more than €28,500 in airfare and accommodation costs alone during their visit to the Gulf from 1 October to 5 October 2021.
In a statement, Elia suggested that passing such costs onto Belgian energy consumers was appropriate because its presence at the World Expo "aimed to make Belgium (its entire Belgian industry, and more broadly its economy) benefit from the relations maintained there".
The Belgian Federal Commission for Electricity and Gas Regulation (CREG), however, ultimately denied Elia's request. In a report sent to Elia on July 7, 2022, it argued that the company's proffered explanation was "not sufficiently convincing", and demanded that Elia itself cover the costs of the trip.
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After some back-and-forth, Elia eventually admitted defeat. "After explaining how we felt our initial allocation was justified, and noting that CREG did not share our point of view, we propose to adapt our tariff report to ensure that the full costs of both sponsorship and participation [at the Expo] are not... borne by the Belgian network tariffs."
Belgian energy consumers are currently facing record energy costs, with many becoming increasingly desperate in their efforts to stay warm over the winter period.
Elia, by contrast, reported a net profit of €328.3 million last year, up from €307.9 million in 2020.
