The purchase price of natural gas this year will increase by 35%, SA Moldova-Gaz president Alexandru Gusev said in a public meeting of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (ANRE), Info-Prim Neo reports. Alexandru Gusev said the yearly average gas tariff for end-users for 2011 was set by the ANRE taking into account the import price of gas of US$304 per 1 000 cubic meters. But in the second quarter of the year Moldova bought gas for US$322 per 1 000 cubic meters. The purchase price is now US$367, while in the fourth quarter it will be over US$400 according to forecasts. Thus, the purchase price of gas has increased by 35%. The meeting examined Moldova-Gaz’s request to set a new gas tariff for end-users – of 5 572 lei per 1 000 cubic meters, up 21.2% from the present tariff of 4 599 lei. ”The rise of 35% is considerable. We are now negotiating a new contract for the supply of gas with Gazprom and demand that the purchase price should not be raised suddenly in 2012 and the next years so that it is in line with the purchase capacity of the Moldovan consumers,” said Gusev. He stressed the press reports that Moldova buys gas from Gazprom at a higher price than other countries of the region should be judged justly. Things often cannot be compared as both Ukraine and Romania have their own resources of gas, even if not sufficient. The Ukrainian gas for example costs US$40 per 1 000 cubic meters and cover 30% of the necessities. In Romania, the price of gas is US$160 per 1 000 cubic meters and the charges for end-users are lower. According to Alexandru Gusev, the new gas charge for end-users will be applied in the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year. This will enable to alleviate the impact of the rise in the import price during the last quarter of this year. It is projected that the purchase price of gas will fall by 9% over the first three months of next year, to US$383 per 1,000 cubic meters. The ANRE directors and other participants in the public meeting put numerous questions to the representatives of Moldova-Gaz and asked for detailed information about the reasons for which they demand reviewing the charges for end users. Alexandru Gusev promised that the information will be presented to the ANRE by the end of this week. ANRE director general Victor Parlicov requested the administration of Moldova-Gaz to ensure the access of the directors and other specialists of the Agency to the financial documents indicating the necessity of increasing the gas tariffs. The date of the next public meeting will be announced in a week.