ANRE approved new tariffs on natural gas delivered to final consumers

The Administration Council of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) established on Wednesday, July 19, the new average tariff for gas supplied to final consumers at about MDL 2,335 per 1,000 cubic meters, by 50.4% more than the existent one of MDL 1,553 per 1,000 cubic meters. The ANRE manager Nicolae Triboi stated at a press conference that for domestic consumers with a monthly consumption up to 30 cubic meters (inclusively) the tariff was raised from 1,460 to 2,196 lei per 1,000 cubic meters, and for those consuming over 30 cubic meters, as well as for other final consumers the tariff was increased from 1,870 to 2,812 lei. The tariff for natural gas for thermal-power stations (CET) was increased from 1,160 to 1,745 lei per 1,000 cubic meters, for the thermal stations – from 1,368 to 2,057 lei. The other ANRE manager, Anatol Burlacov, stated that the adjustment of the tariffs is motivated by the increase from 110 to 160 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters of the buying price for the Russian gas, as well as by the fluctuation of the exchange rates of the national currency against the dollar. Burlacov mentioned that, even SA „Moldova–Gaz” has required to raise the tariffs by 83%, ANRE did not include in the tariffs the losses supported by this enterprise as result of the tariff adjustment with 1.5 month late compared with the supplies starting at the price of 110 dollars. There also were not included in the new tariff the financial losses supported by the enterprise for supplies of July, on the ground that the supplies at the price of 160 dollars started on 1 July, and the consumers will start to pay since 20 July, once ANRE decision is published in the „Official Monitor”. Burlacov also noted that the losses supported by „Moldova-Gaz” will be discussed next year and, in case when they are argued, they will be considered as reason for the new adjustment of the tariffs. SA „Moldova-Gaz” chairman Ghenadi Abashchin, present at the conference, said that the tariff increase will raise technical problems of collecting these payments. Abashchin showed his dissatisfaction with the fact that ANRE did not revise the tariffs for CETs and „Termocom”, as, if the latter ones supply further thermal energy to the same tariffs, they will not be able to pay appropriately the current payment to „Moldova-Gaz”. These payments are very high given the fact that 40% of the gas supplied to Moldova is directed namely to thermal-energy sector. Abaschin considers that the losses of SA „Moldova-gaz”, supported in the first 6 months of 2006, represent about 240 million lei. According to him, even if ANRE did not take into account, for the moment, these losses, in light of the legislation in force, they shall be included in the tariff, due to which „Moldova-Gaz” is waiting for the „next step” of the authorities of energy regulation. Now ANRE finishes examining the calculation regarding the increase for electric power and thermal energy tariffs, Anatol Burlacov highlighted. He mentioned that now he cannot say how much the tariffs will be increased, but he said that „they will be increased inevitably, being a logic measure in the context of the increase of gas tariffs”. According to ANRE data, in 2005, the consumption of natural gas in RM without Eastern region of the country was of 1,315 billion lei, of them 34.7 % was up to CETs , 6.8 % - to thermal stations, 31.7 % - other businessmen and 26.8% – domestic consumers. The data of „Moldova-Gaz” show that in the first 6 months of 2006, the payment level of consumers was of 97%.