The European Union has two proposals on how to set maximum energy prices that EU energy ministers will discuss on Friday, Czech Industry Minister Josef Sikela said, according to the CTK news agency.

According to him, the Czech Presidency of the EU is studying the views of member states on proposals that include either decoupling the high market price of gas from the prices of power plants that produce electricity from gas; or putting a cap on the prices producers charge for lower-cost power plants, such as those using renewable energy, nuclear fuel and coal, Reuters reports.

A draft EU document prepared by the Czech Presidency says ministers will consider options including capping the price of imported gas, capping the price of gas used to generate electricity, or temporarily excluding gas-fired power plants from the current EU electricity pricing system.

It was also proposed to provide liquidity to energy market participants.

Sikela said that decoupling gas prices from electricity prices could lead to an increase in gas consumption, which is not a secondary issue. Sikela said there is an agreement to provide credit to traders to boost market liquidity. He said that the Czech Presidency plans to publish a summary of member states' positions on Wednesday.

According to him, the Czech government is working on a national solution along with a European one.