Moldovan energy regulator turns down Termoelectrica's demand to increase electricity rate by 12.3 per cent

Chisinau, 20 December /MOLDPRES/ - The Administrative Board of the National Energy regulatory Agency (ANRE), at a today’s public meeting, turned down a demand by the stock company Termoelectrica to increase the electric energy production tariff. The company asked to increase the price by 12.3 per cent, up to 179.51 bani for one KW/hour. 

ANRE made the last adjusting of the tariff for producing electricity by the thermal electric power station 1 (CET-1) and CET-2 in October 2011. The stock companies Termocom, CET-1 and CET-2 were re-organized in June 2016, and as a result, Termoelectrica was set up. The enterprise’s management explained the demand of increasing the price for the produced energy by the rise in costs following the change of the gas rates, a 12.5-per cent cut in production, increase in the spending for operational activities, etc.  

At the meeting, ANRE director Sergiu Ciobanu said that there were no enough arguments for increasing the price.”The costs borne by them perfectly fit the tariffs they have at present,” Ciobanu said. Termoelectrica director Veaceslav Eni showed discontented with ANRE’s decision. “We believe that the Agency incorrectly approaches the methodology and the legislation,” the enterprise’s manager said.

Termoelectrica demanded adjusting of the tariff for the thermal energy supplied to consumers and the prices for production of electric energy to the new conditions in last August. At a public meeting held in September 2016, ANRE ruled to increase the tariff for the thermal agent supplied to consumers by 8.2 per cent up to 1,068 lei for one Gcal. Termoelectrica asked for a 27.4 per cent rise; yet, following discussions, some expenses included in the tariff were diminished and the financial deviations were not taken into account.   

The ANRE representatives at that time said that they were postponing the decision on the demand to increase the production price for electric and thermal energy, received from Termoelectrica, till the beginning of the heating season, after ANRE considers the costs unveiled by the electric and thermal energy provider.  

The enterprises of the Fenosa group in Moldova also submitted an application on increase in the tariffs for the services of distribution and supply of electric energy to end consumers, both household and non-household. The ANRE Administrative Board will take a decision.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)