AS Rīgas siltums needs a single owner, Rīga City Council Chairman Viesturs Kleinbergs said in an interview with Latvian Television’s Rīta panorāma. According to Kleinbergs, he and Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs share the view that the company should have one controlling shareholder.
The key issue, however, is whether that owner should be the Latvian state or the Municipality of Riga. Kleinbergs believes that Riga would be the better owner.
“My task will be to demonstrate that we can manage our companies and municipal enterprises more effectively,” Kleinbergs said, citing Rīgas ūdens and Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks as examples of well-managed municipal companies.
As previously reported, a parliamentary inquiry commission was established in November 2025 to investigate the causes of rising district heating costs in Riga and the related risks to Latvia’s energy security.
Upon completing its work, the commission called on the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB), and the State Revenue Service (VID) to assess circumstances described in its final report concerning possible waste of public assets, official negligence, conflicts of interest, and potential adverse actions against a whistleblower.
The commission was chaired by then-member of parliament Andris Kulbergs, who now serves as Prime Minister.
According to publicly available financial data, the Rīgas siltums Group generated turnover of 239.6 million euros during the financial year from the 1st of October 2024 to the 30th of September 2025, representing a decrease of 3.6% compared with the previous year. At the same time, the group’s profit increased significantly, reaching 19.9 million euros.
The parent company, Rīgas siltums, reported turnover of 239.6 million euros, down 3.6% year-on-year, while profit rose by 61.4% to 6.37 million euros.
The Rīgas siltums Group also includes the company Rīgas BioEnerģija.
Rīgas siltums is one of the main district heating suppliers in the Latvian capital. The company’s ownership structure is currently divided between several shareholders: the Municipality of Riga holds 49%, the Latvian state owns 48.99%, Enerģijas risinājumi. RIX owns 2%, while Latvenergo holds 0.005% of the shares.
The question of whether Riga or the state should become the sole controlling shareholder is expected to remain a key issue in discussions on the future governance and development of the capital’s district heating system.
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