There are yet no preconditions for reducing the gas rates, said the president of the Administration Board of Moldovagaz Vadim Ceban. He noted that if Energocom purchases gas at the market price, the rate can rise to 35 lei. For now, Energocom hasn’t set the final price for the gas sold to Moldovagaz, but this is approximately US$1,000 per 1,000 cubic meters, IPN reports.

According to the chief of Moldovagaz, the high rates and the decline in the population’s incomes make households give up using natural gas. Moldovagaz sees a considerable reduction in consumption compared with the corresponding period last year.

“We are not happy with these rates as consumption decreases even in winter. In November alone, among household users we have a 30% decline in consumption, especially in the rural areas, where the people adjust to these circumstances and switch over to alternative fuel, such as firewood and coal, or simply costume less,” Vadim Ceban stated in the program “Résumé” on RliveTV channel.

Moreover, the chief of Moldovagaz said that in the absence of gas from Gazprom, which is sold for US$700-800, and if the state makes purchases at the market price, the gas rate can rise to 35 lei.

“Since January 1, I do not see preconditions for reducing the rates, regrettably. The tariff deviations we need to cover are of about 5 lei. As the prices on exchanges are now of US$1 400 to US$1 700, this already means that the rate is 28 – 30 lei. If we add the financial deviations, this will be 33-35 lei,” stated Vadim Ceba.

After the Moldovan authorities decided to concede the volume of 5.7 million cubic meters of gas to the Transnistrian region, Moldovagaz purchases gas from Energocom for the right side of the Nistru. The chief of Moldovagaz said the price hasn’t been yet set but he anticipates that this is higher than the price offered by Gazprom.

“I do not yet have the data concerning the price. We will find them out the next few days. This price changes periodically as each injection point, like the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau pipeline or the Trans-Balkan pipeline, has the own transportation cost. That’s why the purchase price will be determined by Energocom. I estimate this price will be about US$1,000. This is close to the purchase price that is introduced now in the rate as an average for the whole year – US$926. I think the price from Energocom will be close to this figure,” noted Vadim Ceban.