Natural gas use in Moldovan households went up 2.5% in 2006

Natural gas consumption in households increased by 2.5% in 2006, reaching 360.81 mln cubic meters, a report of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE) shows. According to the cited source, consumption of gas by economic entities increased by 2.4%, reaching 394.60 mln cu m. ANRE explains these increases with the increase in the number of consumers, which is the result of the implementation of the National Programme on Moldova’s Gasification. The Report found that power and heating plants (CET) reduced consumption of gas by 2.6% - from 455.86 mln cu m, in 2005, down to 444.19 mln cu m, in 2006, and the consumption of heating plants rose by 1.1%: from 89.22 mln cu m up to 90,23 mln. These numbers have been conditioned by lower demands of thermal energy in autumn and winter of 2006, when there were registered temperatures above the average. The largest consumers (33.6%) are CET. Economic entities contributed 29.9%, households accounted for 27.3%, and heating plants 6.8%. According to ANRE, in 2006, distribution enterprises of “Moldova-Gaz” JSC delivered to consumers 1,322 mln cubic meters of gas, which is by 7 mln more than in 2005. In the same period, 1,418 mln cu m of natural gas were purchased from Gazprom, valuing MDL 2,473 mln. Although, compared to 2005, purchases of gas haven’t essentially changed, their value increased by 81.2%, after the two increases of contract prices for gas acquisition. On January 1 2006, the price rose by 37.5%, from USD 80 to 110 per 1000 cu m and in July 1 – by 45.5%, from USD 110 to 160. As a consequence, the average price of gas purchased from “Gazprom” constituted USD 133.35 per 1000 cu m, 1.8 times more than in 2005. In 2006, the number of natural gas consumers, serviced by “Moldovagaz” JSC distribution enterprises, rose by 27,800, exceeding the number of 510,000.