Moldovan energy regulator says it has no plans to rule to increase tariffs for gas, electric energy

Chisinau, 19 February /MOLDPRES/ - The National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) has issued a press release, thereby denying information appeared in media on possible increases in tariffs and described it as “a falsehood aimed at misleading the consumers.” ANRE said that it had not discussed and neither planned to take a decision on increasing the tariffs for natural gas and electric energy.  

ANRE specified that the Agency “was notified by more consumers about such information, promoted including by some politicians, which prompted us to publicly come up with this piece of news, due to deny the falsehoods promoted by the concerned persons.”

The media has recently written that the increase in the import price of gas in 2018, from 215.7 dollars for 1,000 cubic metres up to 283.2 dollars, might lead to the increase in the tariff. An average price of only of only 178.5 dollars for 1,000 cubic metres was included in the calculation of the average tariff for 2018.  

In the inflation report No 1, launched in February 2019, the National Bank of Moldova said that “the present forecast of regulated prices is insignificantly superior in the first half of this year and inferior for the rest of the forecast horizon.”

The ANRE administrative board on 16 March 2018 approved the prices and new tariffs for the transportation, distribution and supply of natural gas. Under the decision, the tariff for gas for the 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). The natural gas provider demanded an 11.4-per cent cut in the tariff for the end consumers, from 5,545 lei for 1,000 cubic metres of gas down to 4,914.97 lei.  

The tariff for gas supplied to household consumers for a volume of up to 30 cubic metres (inclusively) was set at 4,705 lei for 1,000 cubic metres (without VAT) and for the consumption exceeding 30 cubic metres for one flat (house) – 4,895 lei.   

In early February this year, Moldovagaz informed all household consumers, private people about the fact that the way of invoicing the gas supplied in January 2019 would be changed in February. Given the updating of the information system of record of natural gas, made to optimize the quality of services provided to end consumers, “in February 2019, the invoices containing debts for January 2019 will be distributed later on.” The deadline for the payment of the debts will be clearly showed in the invoice and will also be extended.  

Starting from next March, the way of issuance of invoices to private people and the deadlines for their payment will take place according to the earlier conditions.