The government introduced a 2 percent turnover tax for all energy firms and capped gas and electricity prices for three years for households and some industrial consumers through an emergency decree approved in late December without impact assessment or public debate.

"The 2 percent contribution will be eliminated for coal, the gas price stays the same," Anton said. He added the country's competition watchdog had approved the move. Energy analysts had said scrapping the tax only for thermal and coal-fired producers, which are state-owned, would be discriminatory.