Government considers importing electric energy from Romania

Prime Minister Vlad Filat says that 30% of Moldova’s electricity consumption can be covered by supplies from Romania. As soon an agreement is reached, the contract will be signed, said Filat after the Saturday's meeting of the governmental commission for the energy sector. “We have the opportunity to purchase electricity from Romania at advantageous prices for Moldova. We discussed all the problems in this area and instructed the relevant authorities to make sure the contract is signed so that people in Moldova can receive quality energy at a fair price. I’m against raising the rates and I’ll do my best to keep them at a realistic level”, declared Vlad Filat. Moldova currently buys electric energy from Ukraine and the Cuciurgan Plant. The contracts expire at the end of this month. The Ukrainians’ new offer is 7.5 cents per 1 kWh, while Cuciurgan offers a slightly lower price of 7.3 cents. According to the Ministry of Economy, this would mean an increase of 20-30% in tariffs. “My instructions were clear: the relevant institutions should request the extension of current contracts for 3 months, so that we could clarify all situations and offer those who buy electric energy the chance for diversity”, said Vlad Filat. Silvia Radu, president of Gas Natural Fenosa, told reporters that the commission will reunite next week to finalize some decisions concerning the energy sector. If the government decides to buy energy from Romania, distributors cannot but conform to the decision, added Silvia Radu.