The thermoelectric plants CETs owe almost 2 billion lei to the gas distributor SA Moldovagaz, including 190 million lei frozen debts, while the debts of SA Termocom to the thermoelectric plans and Moldovagaz total 2.2 billion lei. “Moldovagaz controls all the payments made by the CETs, including the payment of salaries, so as to recover its debts,” Deputy Minister of Economy Tudor Copaci said in a meeting where there was presented an Audit Office report on the management of the public patrimony and the formation of tariffs at the CETs, IPN reports.
According to the official, the problems related to the efficiency of these companies will not be removed until the debts remain exorbitant. “No investor will come to become involved in this vicious circle of debtor-creditor debts,” said Tudor Copaci. He reminded that in 2011 the Government worked out a strategy and the plan of action for the corporate and financial reorganization of the heating system in the municipality of Chisinau, which envisions the merger of CET-1, CET-2 and SA Termocom.
“There were designed several ‘scenarios’ for implementing this restructuring. We hope to succeed by the end of this year. The World Bank will provide a loan of US$20 million to the newly created company. It will have only one director general, not three as now,” said the deputy minister.
A Moldovan delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar will leave for Moscow this month to negotiate the price of natural gas for Moldova for next year with Gazprom. There will be also discussed the possibility of rescheduling a debt of US$180 million of the Chisinau centralized thermoelectric system to SA Moldovagaz. The Moldovan side will propose repaying it within 15 years.
The Audit Office report revealed a number of irregularities in the process of managing the public patrimony at the three CETs. The main conclusion reached by the audit team is that the volumes of electric power and heat produced by the companies decrease annually, while the costs that are not associated with production are on the rise.
