Moldovan energy regulation agency to make audit before taking decision on tariff adjustment

Chisinau, 6 May /MOLDPRES/ - The National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) has already made calculations as to adjustment of electricity and gas rates, demanded by suppliers a month ago, but before taking a decision, an audit will be made additionally.

„The agency has already made the calculations, but it is necessary to make an audit to this end. In a short time, we will organise a contest to select the concerned company. The audit will be carried out by an international company,” ANRE Acting Director Sergiu Ciobanu made statements to this effect for the Agora portal.

Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu has previously underlined too that it was necessary a foreign expertise, in order to set how reasoned the requests to increase power and gas rates were. Moreover, Candu said that he would ask the prosecution to check the reasoning of a possible rise, if „ANRE takes a decision and it to will be arbitrary”.

Gas Natural Fenosa demanded the rising of electricity prices „by at least 50 per cent” starting from 1 April 2015 up to an average of 2.30 lei, whereas the state enterprises RED (Power distribution network) Nord and RED Nord-Vest asked for an increase in the rates by an average of 50 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively.

The electric energy suppliers reason the their demand by the depreciation of the national currency, given that they purchase power in dollars and supply it to end consumers in Moldovan lei. An exchange rate of 11.83 lei for one dollar was taken into account when setting the power rate in May 2012. The official rate announced by the National Bank of Moldova is presently of more than 18 lei per one dollar.

Moldovagaz gas supplier demanded that the gas delivery price be increased by an average of 48 per cent, from the present one of 5,666 lei per 1,000 cubic meters of gas up to 8,386 lei. Yet, experts find out that the import price decreased by 20 per cent in the first quarter on 2015 and by another 18 per cent in the second quarter, which would prompt ANRE to partly accept Moldovagaz company’s demand.

The issue on updating power and gas tariffs was to be considered at a meeting on 10 April, but it was postponed for an indefinite period.

Representatives of the Gas Natural Fenosa company said that the latter was subjected to big financial pressure, as the tariffs had not been revised since 2012; as a result, price non-conformities appeared, equal to about five annual investment budgets. The company „is no longer able to pay to power generating plants, which puts the security of electricity supply at major risk.”

(Reporter V. Bercu, Editor A. Raileanu)