The Republic of Moldova now pays for electricity a price that is three times higher than the price paid earlier to the Kuchurgan power plant. Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spînu said the average price paid for electrical energy imported from Romania is €180 per MWh. According to the official, the high purchase price can lead to a new increase in electricity charges, but clarity as to such a possibility will exist towards the end of November, IPN reports.
Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spînu said the risk that the National Agency for Energy Regulation will need to adjust again the electricity charges cannot be excluded. It will become clearer at the end of this month as Moldova now imports electricity from Romania at a price that is three times higher than the price paid earlier to the Kuchurgan power plant.
“We have two bilateral contracts at the price of €90 – one for 50 MW and another one for 35 MW. This is about 10-12% of the consumption. €90 is the price capped for Romanian consumers. The rest is bought daily for the next day through Romania’s stock exchange. Depending on the hour, the prices vary between €100 and €300 per MW. The average price of the electricity bought at the market price is €180. Against the price of €62.5 that we paid until November 1, the current price is three times higher,” Andrei Spînu stated in the program “In Depth” on ProTV channel.
Earlier this month, the National Agency for Energy Regulation approved higher electricity charges for end users. The households powered by Premier Energy now pay 4.77 lei per kWh of electricity, up 1.62 lei. Andrei Spînu assured that all the transactions to buy electrical energy from Romania are transparent and if a new increase in charges is needed, the citizens will be informed beforehand.
“All the electricity, except for the emergency one, is paid for in advance. The purchases are made on the stock exchange and represent the most transparent method of buying electric power. Bids are submitted. The money is in the account of Energocom’s branch in Romania. When the transaction is concluded, the money is taken from that account. Only the price of power supplied in an emergency is not known. This is the most expensive one, but the amount is much smaller. The transaction is between Moldelectrica and Transelectrica. When Moldelectrica receives the bill, we will know exactly at what hour the power was supplied to us and at what price. We will make the data public. We will now exactly if additional adjustments to charges are needed towards the end of November,” stated Andrei Spînu.
The official noted that the shortage of electricity in Moldova for today is about 8.2%. Through the agency of Energocom, the authorities import over 80% of the necessary electricity from Romania.
