"540,000 Won Electricity Bill in One Month"... Spanish Working Class Cries Out

Russia's Energy Prices Surge After Ukraine Invasion
Electricity Bill Hikes Worsen Financial Hardship for COPD Patients

[Asia Economy Reporter Haeyoung Kwon] Following the Ukraine war, electricity prices in Europe have surged, significantly worsening the financial situation of the lower-income class in Spain.

According to international relief and development organization Oxfam on the 23rd, among the 4th income decile households, which correspond to the middle class in Spain, 4% of households spent more than half of their income on energy costs last year. This is due to the sharp rise in energy prices after the Ukraine war, which greatly increased related expenditures. Oxfam's survey shows that before the energy crisis, 5 out of 10 households were able to save money, but after the crisis, only 3 out of 10 households could save.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A foreign media outlet introduced the story of Jose Maria Casillas, who is struggling due to the surge in energy prices. Casillas, who worked as an engineer and is now retired, lives in Barcelona, Spain, and receives 2,700 euros (approximately 3.6 million KRW) monthly from his pension and disability allowance. Suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), he depends on a home oxygen concentrator for up to 24 hours a day, but since last year, his financial situation has worsened due to electricity bills. His monthly electricity bill has risen to 300-400 euros (approximately 400,000 to 540,000 KRW), three times the amount he spent before the Ukraine war. Casillas said, "This limits all other expenses," and "There is no choice left for anything else."

It is estimated that 5 million people in Spain suffer from COPD like Casillas. Among them, there are concerns that the lower-income and impoverished groups may suffer from financial hardship due to rising electricity prices. A charity organization, Asthma + Lung UK, surveyed 3,600 people with lung diseases and found that 1 in 5 Britons reduced spending on medicine, heating, and groceries due to the sharp rise in living costs.

Since the Ukraine war, energy prices have surged, causing electricity prices to rise sharply across Europe. According to domestic statistics including Korea Electric Power Corporation, from January 2021 to June 2022, electricity price increases reached 89% in the UK, 45% in Spain, and 25.6% in France. In Italy, prices soared by as much as 106.9%. Especially as the lower-income and poor classes were hit hardest by the rise in energy prices, governments across Europe have started providing energy subsidies targeting these groups.

In Spain, there are calls to provide separate electricity subsidies for patients dependent on medical devices. For COPD patients, the burden of rising electricity prices has forced them into a desperate situation where they must choose between survival essentials: eating or breathing. In particular, voices are growing that energy subsidies should be provided regardless of income.