Moldovan energy regulator approves new tariffs for gas, rules to recalculate them for first two months of 2018

Chisinau, 16 March /MOLDPRES/ - The administrative board of the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) today approved the prices and new tariffs for the transport, distribution and supply of gas. The Moldovagaz enterprise at a public meeting unveiled a note, thereby expressing its disagreement with the draft. At the same time, experts asked to postpone the approval of the decision, till all issues concerning the costs taken into account when setting the tariffs are cleared up.   

Under the decision, presented by the head of ANRE’s tariffs and economic analyses department, Alexandru Mija, the gas tariff for end consumers was decreased by an average of 20.3 per cent, to 4,420 lei for 1,000 cubic metres of gas (without value added tax, VAT). The gas supplier demanded a drop of 11.4 per cent of the average tariff for end consumers, from 5,545 lei for 1,000 cubic metres of gas to 4,914.97 lei.    

The tariff for natural gas supplied to household consumers for a volume of up to 30 cubic metres (inclusively) was sat at 4,705 lei for 1,000 cubic metres of gas, - by 1,187 lei less than the tariff in force. ANRE approved a tariff of 4,895 lei at a consumption exceeding 30 cubic metres for one flat (house), down by 1,243 lei against the present one.  

The VAT is not included in the tariff. An eight-per cent value added tax is levied on the supply of gas to end consumers, which is included in the invoice.

ANRE director Tudor Copaci said that the new tariffs had been set for 2018, so that all invoices paid by residents and economic agents in the first two months of this year would be recalculated downwards. “The consumers this year will pay by 1.5 billion lei less for gas than in 2017,” Copaci said.

According to the ANRE director, positive tariff deviations worth 270 million lei were taken into account and losses worth over 460 million lei were not taken into account. Referring to the fact that the new tariffs were built on an exchange rate of 17.68 lei for one dollar, Copaci said that decision-makers proceeded from the updated forecast of the Economics Ministry, agreed upon with the International Monetary Fund, an exchange rate that was applied also when working out the state budget and other documents.   

The Moldovagaz representatives presented a note which contains ten points on the disagreement with the basic expenses taken into account, tariff for transportation, the wear, distribution tariff, etc. More experts contested the calculations. In particular, they pointed to the fact that the costs borne by the enterprise for 2015, 2016, 2017 were not approved by the Agency, just as the methodology sees.   

The last change of the gas tariff was made on 26 January 2016, when the average tariff for end consumers was approved at 5,545 lei for 1,000 cubic metres of gas, down by 677 lei or 10.9 per cent against the tariff in force at that moment. The tariff for household consumers was decreased by 10.1 per cent.  

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)