ANRE PROMISES TO CONSIDER DEMAND FOR GAS TARIFF CHANGING

The National Energy Regulatory Agency did not leave unnoticed the experts and politicians' criticism concerning the overstated natural gas tariffs for ultimate consumers.

The ANRE's statement in this regard says that the Agency will analyze the results of the natural gas market activities in 2017, as well as forecasts of import prices on it in 2018, after which it will take decisions about new tariffs.

The agency promises to take into account not only the evolution of the Moldovan leu rate against the US dollar and the purchasing price, but also all the other factors that influence the price formation in the internal market.

The ANRE stressed that it is calculating in accordance with the current methodologies, pointing that new tariffs are revised in accordance with the average annual rates.

As Infotag has already reported, a number of experts and political movements criticized the ANRE, regarding that it is obliged to revise tariffs on gas for consumers by at least 30%. As arguments they cite the fact that the purchasing price on has only over the last year fell by almost one-third, while the Moldovan leu strengthened by almost 20% against the US dollar since the last revision of tariffs in 2016.

Moldova is buying gas from the Russian Gazprom at a price of approximately US$174 per 1 thousand cubic meters, while Moldovagaz is selling it to the population almost two-fold more expensive [US$360 per 1 thousand cubic meters]. According to experts, over the last two years consumers overpaid around 1.5 billion lei.