Energy expert of the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul” Ion Muntean said the impact of the higher electricity tariffs already starts to be visible through the dissatisfaction expressed by the people and will amplify when the new tariffs generate new rises in the prices of services and energy-intensive products. The expert stated his opinions in an analysis presented by “Viitorul”, IPN reports.
Ion Muntean considers attention should be paid to the way the rise in tariffs is regarded and interpreted by the population. “This shows that the population is not sufficiently and correctly informed about the mechanisms of forming tariffs and the vulnerable factors for the country, which influence the price of electric power. This is due to the lack of political will for fulfilling the commitments to diversify the sources of energy supply and to strengthen the country’s energy security,” he stated.
According to the expert, the lack of transparency in the public consultation process was the main cause that aroused suspicions about the correctness of tariffs as the draft decisions and the calculations weren’t made public. The lack of open communication with the consumers caused doubts about the impartiality of the National Agency for Energy Regulation and diminished the credibility of the institution as an independent authority.
Ion Muntean said the tariffs for end-users could be decreased in over four-five years given that the financial deviations sustained by the energy companies weren’t included in the current tariffs. A solution that would allow purchasing electricity at lower prices is to build access bridges to the European energy market, where the prices are now lower than those paid by Moldova to the supplier from Transnistria, but this requires political will.
On November 9, the electric power tariffs were raised by over 0.50 lei. The National Agency for Energy Regulation examined the audit reports of the suppliers and returned to its July decision that was suspended in September. Dissatisfied with the rise in tariffs, consumers have staged protest in front of the Agency during two days.
