Moldovagaz will request the National Agency for Energy Regulation (NAER) to raise the gas rate to 29 lei per cubic meter, the president of Moldovagaz informed in the program “Résumé with Ileana Pîrgaru”. Vadim Ceban said the price calculation formula will change in October and this can generate a lower gas purchase price. Howevwer, according to him, after the purchase price is decreased, Moldovagaz will not ask to review the rate down as it needs to cover tariff deviations, IPN reports.
The president of Moldovagaz said the purchase price of gas requires to increase the gas rate and the company will ask NAER to review the rate up. A request to this effect will be made after September 20, after the law on natural gas takes effect and after the price calculation methodology is changed.
“We will insist on a rate of 29 lei so that we are able to pay for natural gas and to also avoid a very big shock for the population, for consumers, for the industry as there is a risk that we will reach another extreme when the consumers’ payment capacity decreases. We need to cover the deviations we accumulated this year and last year. By the end of this year, we will accumulate financial deviations of 3.3 billion lei. We have 1.7 billion lei deviations for last year and 1.6 billion deviations for this year. If we add these deviations, the tare should be over 33 lei. We do not want such a sudden growth. On the other hand, we need to fulfill our obligations,” Vadim Ceban stated in the program produced by RliveTV channel.
Under the contract signed with Gazprom, the purchase price calculation formula is modified in October and the share of the value of oil and natural gas is changed. The president of Moldovagaz said the new formula can generate a lower purchase price, not yet lower gas rates. Moldovagaz accumulates deviations that it needs to cover with the amounts collected from the population.
“The purchase piece will surely be lower as from October compared with September, if there are no news shocks on the market. The prices now decline. Last week, 1,000 cubic meters of gas cost over US$3,000, but now the prices vary between US$2,300 and 2,400. The natural gas storage level all over Europe reached 80-90%. The natural gas demand was moderated and this means adjustments on the market. But we need to cover the deviations as the law provides. But it is the regulator that will decide. We need to fulfill our obligations, to maintain the system. We collect money only from consumers and do not have any own sources,” said Vadim Ceban.
Currently, consumers pay a rate of 22.99 lei per cubic meter of gas. The Moldovan authorities announced a broad program to partially pay for the natural gas used by consumers in the cold period of the year. According to Minister of Labor and Social Protection Marcel Spatari, 60% of all residential users will benefit from the maximum value of the subsidy.
