About half a billion lei will be allocated from the state budget in 2016 for providing compensations to the socially deprived groups of people given the expected rise in the electric power and natural gas charges. Over 90 million lei will be needed for offering compensations for the months of October, November and December of this year, Deputy Minister of Economy Valeriu Triboi said in a news conference, quoted by IPN.

According to the official, the authorities are between the hammer and anvil. The IMF said a new cooperation program will be negotiated with Moldova if the authorities adjust the electric power and natural gas tariffs. “Effort is now made to identify the sources from which to provide compensations,” said Valeriu Triboi.

As to the decision of Gas Natural Fenosa to file a suit against Moldova to an international arbitration court for the refusal to include financial deviations in the tariffs, Triboi said they are discussing with the company for the payment of these deviations to be rescheduled for ten years. Thus, the annual power tariffs paid by end-users will be by 3.5 – 4% higher. Effort is made for all the end-users to be supplied with electric power, heat and natural gas in the cold period of 2015- 2016.