Be patient and pay: Moldova buys gas cheaper than the tariffs

In Moldova, the gas purchase price is now less than that included in the current tariff, but there is no need to talk about reducing consumer bills yet. This was stated on the Moldova 1 TV channel by the acting General Director of the state-owned company Energocom, Yevgeny Buzatu.

He stressed that the information that appeared in the public space about a possible reduction in the cost of the tariff is premature, "since the final price includes a number of unpredictable components."

According to Buzatu, the company responsible for the purchase has already sent to the National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) all the necessary documents confirming the basic costs — one of the key elements in the formation of a regulated tariff.

"Energocom provided data on basic expenses and provided all supporting documents. After that, an application will be submitted for actual gas purchases," he said.

Energocom has confirmed that the average purchase price of gas is 38.5 euros/MW — significantly lower than the current 45 euros/MW included in the tariff. At the same time, Buzatu urges not to rush into forecasts about price reductions for consumers — there are too many variables that are still unknown and do not depend on Energocom.

"The biggest part of the tariff is the cost of purchasing natural gas, but there are also distribution costs, transportation and other costs. In the current tariff, the purchase of gas is set at 45 euros per MW. Back in September, we announced that we were buying 38.5 euros each," concluded Yevgeny Buzatu.

Recall, the former head of the Ministry of Energy, Viktor Parlikov, had previously reasonably claimed that there was colossal corruption in the Moldovan energy sector during procurement, so their details were classified.

As EADaily reported, tens of thousands of consumers in Moldova received inflated gas bills last month. The Ministry of Energy received about 30 thousand appeals from outraged citizens. The state-owned company Energocom, which charges for energy consumption, explained that invoices are issued strictly on the basis of data provided by distribution operators, for which an audit is allegedly already being conducted.