Moldovan energy regulatory agency increases by five per cent tariff for thermal energy provided to consumers by electricity, heating supply enterprise

Chisinau, 17 March /MOLDPRES/ - The Administrative Board of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE), at a today’s public meeting, approved a new tariff for the thermal energy supplied to the Chisinau municipality consumers at 1,122 lei for one Gcal, by five per cent more against the rate set in September 2016.  

ANRE Director Sergiu Ciobanu has said that the decision by the national energy regulator’s Board would enter into force starting from 1 May 2017; yet, it will be applied in the next heating season. In last September, the tariff was increased by 8.2 per cent.  

Termoelectrica demanded the rise in the rate from 1,068.22 lei to 1,132.20 lei for one Gcal, as a result of the increase in the technical indexes included in the production plan for this year, updated forecast of the macroeconomic indexes for 2017-2019, retail prices index, exchange rate of the dollar and rise in the tariffs for the electric energy demanded by Gas Natural Fenosa, the Termoelectrica director-general, Veaceslav Eni, said at the meeting.   

At hearings on 9 March, the Termoelectrica head said that, in the last one year and a half, he had reduced the losses by over 700 million lei; yet, the adjusting of the tariff is dictated by the covering of the costs. Veaceslav Eni also said that, in 2016, the enterprise had recorded “exceptional results.”   

The adjusting of the tariffs for the thermal and electric energy to a level that would cover the justified expenses till 31 March 2017 is a commitment of the authorities before the International Monetary Fund.  

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)