Moldovagaz requested the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) to revise the natural gas charge for final consumers for 2024. According to draft calculations, household consumers will pay about 16 lei for one cubic meter of gas, compared to 18 lei at present, IPN reports.
The supplier noted that the weighted average natural gas price is proposed to be reduced to 13,347 lei per thousand cubic meters or by 12.5%. “The main factors that led to the need to revise the charges include the significant reduction in the purchase prices of natural gas on the Dutch TTF spot and a pronounced decrease in the correction component of the supplier’s regulated income (tariff deviations) for 2023,” reads a press release.
The company asked that, at exit points of gas transmission networks, if the new charge is applied starting with January 1, 2024, this should be 10,800 lei per thousand cubic meters or by 20.1% lower than the current one.
Also, at exit points of high-pressure gas pipelines, it is proposed to set the charge at 10,933 lei per thousand cubic meters or by 20% less, while of medium-pressure pipelines – at 12.084 lei per thousand cubic meters or by 16% less.
In the case of low-pressure pipelines, to which all household consumers and a part of non-household consumers are connected, a charge of 16,062 lei per thousand cubic meters is proposed, down 4%.
“It should be noted that the moderate reduction in the charge for consumers connected to low-pressure pipelines is due to the change in the structure of consumption at different pressure levels, the increase in the length of low-pressure pipelines, as well as the approval of new charges for natural gas distribution from July 8, 2023,” said Moldovagaz.
However, taking into account the fact that, under the law, ANRE has 90 days to review and approve new charges, and tariff deviations are accumulated during this period, which are to be compensated for consumers, Moldovagaz designed several scenarios for applying charges depending on the date of their entry into force. Namely, if the charges are applied from March 1, 2024, at exit points of high-pressure gas pipelines, the charge will be 9,927 lei per thousand cubic meters, a decrease of 27.4%, of medium-pressure pipelines – 11,003 lei per thousand cubic meters or by 23.5% less, while of low-pressure pipelines – 14,671 lei per thousand cubic meters, a decline of 12.3%.
If, by the regulatory authority’s decision, the charges take effect on April 1, 2024, the charge for high-pressure pipelines will be 9,121 lei per thousand cubic meters (-33.3%), for medium-pressure pipelines - 10,171 lei per thousand cubic meters (-29.3%), while for low-pressure pipelines - 13,720 lei per thousand cubic meters (-18%).
Under the supplier’s third scenario, if the new charges are applied from May 1, 2024, the charge for high-pressure pipelines will be 8,512 lei per thousand cubic meters (-37.7%), for medium-pressure pipelines - 9,547 lei per thousand cubic meters (-33.6%), while for low-pressure pipelines - 13,025 lei per thousand cubic meters (-22.1%). It is noteworthy that these scenarios take into account the correction component of the regulated income of the supplier for January-February, January-March and January-April 2024, respectively.
