ANRE returns to liquefied gas trade cap price, just three months after cancellation

Chisinau, 7 September /MOLDPRES/ – The National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) could return to cap the price of liquefied petroleum gas, according to a bill approved today by the Government.

"Every two weeks, according to Platts and Argus quotations previously, ANRE establishes petroleum products and liquefied gas ceiling retail price and publish them on its webpage," stipulates the draft amendment to the law on market petroleum products developed by the Ministry of Economy.

Retail trade in liquefied gas at a price that exceeds the ceiling price established by ANRE will be banned.

Amendments and additions proposed, essentially change the current law concept on the petroleum products market in respect of the pricing and marketing of liquefied gas and grant ANRE additional powers. The calculation method currently applied "allow unjustified increase in prices for liquefied gas and does not ensure transparency of costs included in the calculation formula," according to the Ministry of Economy.

The regulator in Energy announced on 12 July 2016 that after the amendments’ to the Law on the oil market entry into force, introduced in June this year, the regulator will only fix the ceiling price of retail gasoline and diesel, but not those for the marketing of liquefied gas.

Under amendments to the law, prices of wholesale and retail of liquefied gas are determined by market operators.

After changing the pricing mechanism of auto liquefied gas trading, it was expensive at gas stations by an average of 27 percent. So if, at the end of May ANRE set a price ceiling for liquefied gas of 7,20 lei per litre, to the day costs have reached 8,96 – 9,36 lei per litre.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)