Moldovan Academy of Sciences' Energy Institute says electricity rates might be cut by at least nine percent

Chisinau, 20 November /MOLDPRES/ - The tariffs for electric energy might be cut by at least nine percent, scientists of the Energy Institute at the Academy of Sciences (ASM) told a today's news conference. The new tariffs, which are by 30-37 per cent higher against the ones set in May 2012, entered into force on 9 November 2015.

A study conducted by the Energy Institute shows that "the minimum price for electric energy supply by the Kuchurgan power station should be of 5.2 cents for one KW/hour, against 6.79 cents paid at present," the director of the Institute, Mihai Tirsu, has said.

According to Tirsu, there is a margin of 1.6 cents that might be negotiated. "The reduction of this margin may occur only following direct negotiations with governmental support when signing contracts on delivery," Mihai Tirsu stressed. The price in cents has not changed over the last years, while a 50-per cent depreciation of the Moldovan leu led to the increase in price expressed in the national currency. 

"Should the Economics Ministry, electricity supply and distribution companies get involved in the direct negotiations with the energy producer, the Kuchurgan power station, and if the intermediary Energokapital is excluded, then we would have possibility to reduce the import price by at least nine percent," Tirsu also said. He added that, if to also take into account other figures, spread by media, as for instance, 130 dollars for 1,000 cubic metres of gas paid by the Power Station, "then this cut might reach 15-20 per cent."

The ASM Energy Institute  recommends to revise the methodology of setting the tariffs with a wide participation of civil society's representatives and introducing a mechanism of transparency. Also, the Institute recommends introduction of social tariffs for low-income categories of the residents and payment of a share of the consumed electric energy for the categories of population with modest incomes.  

The Administrative Board of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) has recently ruled to maintain the new tariffs at the level approved in last July, after the completion of public discussions on external audit reports concerning the calculation of the new electric energy rates. World famous companies carried out an external audit on the correctness of the new tariffs, assessing the costs included in the tariffs and the compliance of the way of calculation with the provisions of the tariff methodologies.

The tariffs approved by ANRE in July 2015 entered into force on 9 November 2015. The household consumers connected to low tension networks served by Gas Natural Fenosa Furnizare de Energie Electrica (Gas Natural Fenosa Electric Energy Supply) pay a tariff of 2.16 lei for one KW/hour, the ones served by RED Nord stock company pay 2.23 lei, and the consumers of RED Nord-Vest - 2.33 lei for one KW/hour.      

The expenses for public utilities per capita have increased from an average of 327 lei to 403 lei, following the rise in the gas and electricity rates, according to experts' estimations.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)