Moldovan government will continue to negotiate with suppliers in order to get the lowest electricity purchase price in June.
Andrei Spinu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, said this when speaking on Moldova 1 TV channel. "We have discussed and will continue to discuss with companies from Ukraine and the Moldovan HPP so that the purchasing price of electricity in June and the following months would be the lowest so that there would be no need to raise the tariffs for final consumers again," he said. Andrei Spinu acknowledged that the main problem is that there is currently no great alternative to buying electricity at a price low enough for citizens to pay. "Of course, if we are offered purchase prices during the tender that are twice as high as the cost of electricity built into the tariff, then we should also expect a doubling of the tariff, but it will not be paid by citizens," said the Deputy Prime Minister. Spinu said that after the recent synchronization of Moldova's power system with the European power network ENTSO-E, it is technically possible to buy electricity from Romania, but the price there exceeds 200 euros per MWh, while Moldova acquires electric energy from the Moldovan HPP at $59.5 per MWh. Andrei Spinu acknowledged that in this situation, supplies of Romanian electricity are possible only in case of extreme need, when Moldova has no other supply options. According to him, the purchase of electric energy from Ukraine is an alternative, Energocom will buy 30% of the necessary volume of electric energy from Ukrhidroenergo in May, but the price will be slightly higher than that of the Moldovan HPP. Deputy Prime Minister noted that the Moldovan HPP cannot supply Moldova with all the electricity it needs, because there is no gas, and the contracted volumes do not cover 100% of the electricity production, but only 70%. "In June the situation is expected to be about the same, and the Moldovan HPP will be able to supply also 70% of the electricity needed, and we are discussing the price of supplies. Our main goal is to get the lowest purchase price", said Andrei Spinu. He said that in May, 70% of the electricity will be supplied by Moldovan HPP and 30% - by Ukrhidroenergo. The estimated average price of electricity in May will be $66.7 per MWh and the end-users are expected to pay the same price in May. Deputy Prime Minister also said Ukrainian power suppliers are not ready to sign long-term contracts with Moldova either, as they cannot take on long-term commitments in conditions of war due to unpredictable developments. // 13.05.2022 - InfoMarket
