Moldova's commission for emergency situations approves measures on energy security, protection of information space

Chisinau, 16 December /MOLDPRES/ -The regulation on the assigning of categories of energy vulnerability and the way of establishment and payment of compensations for the payment of energy invoices has been adjusted. Thus, the household consumers who have the R coefficient, higher or equal to 15 per cent, but lower than 35 per cent, will be assigned the medium energy vulnerability category and to those with the R coefficient lower or equal to 15 per cent – low category. A decision to this effect was approved at a today’s meeting of the Commission for Emergency Situations (CSE), chaired by Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.        

At the same time, the households with an income higher or equal to 5,000 lei, who showed in the application an overall income of the family lower than 25 per cent of the estimated cost of the energy, will be assigned the medium energy vulnerability category at the most. To revise the energy vulnerability category, consumers can submit a request to the Labour and Social Protection Ministry on the change of the application in the Information System of Energy Vulnerability. The members of the household declared in the initial request will not be able to be excluded from the application.       

The consumers disconnected from the thermal energy will be given compensations by providers equivalent to the quite high vulnerability degree, if the invoiced consumption exceeds ten per cent of the cost of the thermal energy calculated per one square metre. Compensations equivalent to the medium energy vulnerability degree will be applied to the disconnected consumers, for whom the invoiced consumption is equal or lower than ten per cent of the cost of the thermal energy calculated for one square metre.     

Also, under the CSE decision, the Energocom stock company will purchase up to 100 million cubic metres of natural gas and sell to the Moldovagaz stock company, at a preliminary price of 1,108.61 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres. In this respect, Moldovagaz will submit an application on the buying of natural gas, based on an individual contract of the type EFET. The measure is necessary, in order to ensure the energy security of Moldova, given that the Gazprom Russian giant substantially cut the volume of gas delivered to Moldova.    

The final volume and price of the natural gas will be specified till10 January 2023, through the act on delivery-takeover of natural gas, signed between the two companies. The natural gas purchased will be delivered exclusively on the territory of Moldova, on which the licenced system operators carry out their activity and the Energocom stock company will not include a profit margin in the selling price.    

In the conditions of substantial modifications of the prices for energy resources, especially for natural gas, with major impact on the costs borne by operators, the CSE members instructed that the National Energy regulatory Agency (ANRE) makes the extraordinary adjusting, during 3 working days, of the price for the electric energy produced and the tariff for the thermal energy delivered by the enterprises from the thermal energy sector, except for the Termoelectrica stock company. The adjusting will be made based on the components included in the price and the tariff in force, by applying the current purchasing price of the primary fuel.   

At the same time, on the period of the emergency state, the holders of licence who carry out activities of production, distribution and delivery of thermal energy will declare the quantity of energy imported till the date of the month immediately next to the managed one.  

The participants in the CSE meeting approved a framework regulation on the organization and work of the social service, Personal Assistance, meant for children with disabilities who took refuge from Ukraine. They will benefit from social assistance, based on the disability certificate got in Ukraine. The expenses for the providing of the social service will be covered from financial means allocated within a memorandum of understanding between the Labour and Social Protection Ministry and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

To protect the national information space and prevent the risk of misinformation through the spread of false information or attempt of manipulating the public opinion, having at the basis the list of private people and legal entities subjected to international sanctions, as well as multiple findings of the Audiovisual Council for the lack of correct informing in the coverage of the national events, as well as of the war in Ukraine, the broadcasting licence of the six TV media audiovisual services is suspended on the period of the emergency state: Primul în Moldova (First in Moldova), RTR Moldova, Accent TV, NTV Moldova, TV6, Orhei TV.  

Photo: Government