National Agency for Energy Regulation publishes new tariffs on gas supplied to final consumers
15:00 | 22.07.2015 Category: Economic
Chisinau, 22 July /MOLDPRES/ - The National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) made public the new regulated tariffs on natural gas supplied to final consumers today. The population will pay for gas consumption by 15.3 per cent more against the current prices, according to a press release by ANRE.
The new tariff for households with a monthly consumption of up to 30 cubic meters is 6,887 lei per 1,000 cubic meters, and for the use of over 30 cubic meters a tariff of 7,175 lei was set. A value added tax (VAT) of 8 per cent is added to the supply of gas, so that ultimately the price will rise by 550 lei, respectively 574 lei per thousand cubic meters.
On 18 July, the Administrative Board of ANRE announced just a 15.4 per cent increase in the average natural gas tariff for end consumers up to 6,538 lei (excluding VAT). Prices per categories of consumers were subsequently calculated.
The tariff for power plants and heating plants for heat production and supply to urban consumers through centralised supply systems was established at 6,028 lei. Other final consumers, whose gas plants are connected to high pressure distribution networks, will pay 6,345 lei per thousand cubic meters.
The main cause of increasing the final tariff for the natural gas "lies in the depreciation of the national currency against the US dollar by 58.8 per cent, from the value of 11.9 lei per dollar, included in the current rate", explains ANRE. A quote of 18.9 lei per dollar was considered in setting the new tariff.
The National Agency for Energy Regulation also notes that the average annual price for the purchase of imported natural gas in lei would increase by only 3.2 per cent. But prices for the transport service increased significantly, by 14.4 times, after the Law on the international transport of natural gas through transit lines was excluded by law from the regulated activity of Moldovagaz. Other necessary costs will be included in the tariff.
The ANRE Administrative Board partially accepted the request of Moldovagaz, which required an increase of 51.7 per cent in public hearing.
The new tariffs will come into force when the decision of ANRE will be published in the Official Journal. The last update of natural gas tariffs was operated by ANRE in late September 2011, when the average tariff was increased by 23.2 per cent up to 5,664 lei per thousand cubic meters.
(Reporter V. Bercu, Editor L. Alcaza)
